Chemical and microbiological characterization of Portuguese varieties of pears.

The sun-dried pears of the local variety known as S. Bartolomeu, found in the centre of Portugal, are relatively small fruits, characterized by an intense reddish brown colour, that loose their pronounced astringency with drying. However, and since their production has been declining over the past decades, there has been an increasing interest in drying also for other varieties of pears, also with small dimensions, as an alternative to produce the dried pears. The aim of this work is the evaluation of the nutritional properties of fresh and dried pears of the local varieties known as Amêndoa, Amorim, Carapinheira Branca and S. Bartolomeu, all original from of the centre of Portugal. The results enable us to conclude that the fresh pear pulp of all varieties has a low content of protein and a high level of total sugars, as is generally true for fruit. However, their values of dietary fiber ranged between 12 and 15% (dry mass) constituting these pears a potential source of dietary fiber. In addition, it is also possible to conclude that, apparently, the solar stove-drying process has no effect on the nutritional characteristics of the pears, except on total sugars and acidity. The range of water activity values and microbial charge of the different pears also allow inferring that the dried fruits obtained from the four varieties studied are potentially safe from a microbiological point of view. The resemblance in the characteristics of the fruits, together with the similarity of behaviour towards drying, suggests that the fruits of the varieties Carapinheira Branca, Amêndoa and Amorim can be viewed as a good alternative to those of the variety S. Bartolomeu for the production of dried pears