Effects of drying process on the quality of dehydrated pineapple

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is highly demanded tropical fruit, famed for its unique aroma, sweet taste and excellent nutritional characteristics. However, a large proportion of the pineapple harvest is wasted due to inappropriate handling techniques and lack of knowledge with regards to preservation strategies. Various drying technologies have been implemented to preserve pineapples, but the optimal means of preserving the nutrient profile has not be determined as yet. This study was carried out, with the aim to determine, the best drying technique that preserves the highest nutrient profile of pineapple. Fresh, ripe pineapple from Smooth Cayenne variety was purchased from local market to evaluate different drying techniques. Once cleaned and peeled, the core was removed and sliced and each slice was equally cut into 08 pieces and dried using Convective dryer and Intermittent Microwave Convective dryer (IMCD). Freeze dried pineapple slices of the same physical dimensions were collected from external sources. Finally, proximate analysis of dehydrated pineapple from each drying technique was conducted according to AOAC standards. Freeze dried pineapple shows higher total carbohydrate when compared to other drying methods and convective dried pineapple and IMCD pineapple shows similarity in protein and ash while convective dried pineapple recorded the highest value for crude fibre. However fat composition remains very low in all drying techniques. It can be concluded that there is a significant increase in the nutrient profile of dried samples when compared to the fresh pineapple sample