Effect of drying agents on quality parameters of lyophilized persimmon purée powder

Persimmon juice has good nutritional composition and high antioxidant properties, however it requires more packing space because of large volume and has limited shelf-life. The research objective was to produce persimmon purée powder with prolonged shelf-life by using various concentrations of drying agents (maltodextrin and Arabic gum). The control sample was persimmon purée powder without drying agents. Experimental samples included powders with maltodextrin (40, 45, and 50%), Arabic gum (25, 30, and 35%), and the mix of maltodextrin (40%) and Arabic gum (10%). All the experimental samples contained 1% of tri-calcium phosphate as an anti-caking agent. Tests were carried out according to the standard techniques. The samples with 45 and 50% of maltodextrin had lower moisture, ash, redness (a*), and hygroscopicity values. These powders demonstrated good yield, solubility, density, and color indices (L*, b*, C, H). The persimmon purée powders with 30 and 35% of Arabic gum showed an increase in ash content and total acidity. The samples with 30% Arabic gum obtained the highest sensory evaluation scores. The optimal results belonged to the samples of lyophilized persimmon purée powder with 45% of maltodextrin, which will have a longer shelf-life due to its low moisture content.