Quality properties of solar dried aronia

Abstract

Aronia or black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), is increasingly used in human nutrition due to its unique nutritional properties and the presence of bioactive components in the berry fruit. On the other hand, it is a great raw material for processing wide variety of products and, according to scientific examination, it is classified as a medicinal plant with excellent chemical composition. In this research the main goal is determining the quality properties of fresh and dried aronia, obtained by applying solar drying. Fresh aronia is harvested towards the end of every summer, after which it goes through a proper preparation for freezing, and then the drying procedure is applied using the Armenian solar dryer. This solar dryer is a controlled system in which solar radiation is being used for heating, which affects the air flow during the process of drying. For the determination of quality properties of fresh and dried aronia, the following parameters were analyzed: total dry matter, invert sugar, total acids, total ash, dietary fiber, vitamin C, anthocyanins, color density and polymeric colors. The content of total dry matter in fresh aronia is 26.51 %, while in dried fruits it is 52.75 %. However, the values of Vitamin C ranges from 17.81 mg/100 g in fresh berry fruits. But with freezing and drying, the value reduces to 14.65 mg/100 g. Moreover, the content of invert sugar in fresh berry fruit is 6.35 %, and in dried fruit it reduces to approximately 1 %. The highest value of anthocyanins is noticed in fresh aronia berries, which can significantly decrease due to the process of freezing and drying. According to the obtained results, the dried aronia processed at the Armenian solar dryer has satisfactory sensorial and quality properties as well as good characteristics from the economic and ecological aspect.