Effect of Pretreatments on Quality Characteristics of Dehydrated Ivy Gourd (Coccinia indica L.)

Ivy gourd (Coccinia indica L.) is an important
tropical vegetable cultivated in India. It belongs to the
Cucurbitaceae family and is attributed with neutraceutical
properties such as hypoglycemic effect and contained a fair
amount of ascorbic acid. The effect of blanching and
different pretreatments on the quality characteristics of
dehydrated ivy gourd slices was optimized. The treated ivy
gourd slices were dehydrated in a cross flow hot air drier at
50±1°C to a final moisture content of 4.6%. The
dehydration ratio of dried ivy gourd slices ranged from
17.1:1 to 18.7:1. Ivy gourd slices blanched at 98°C in
water, dipped in 0.2% potassium metabisulphite (K2S2O5)
solution and dried at 50±1°C for 5–6 h resulted in best
product. Dehydrated ivy gourd slices obtained from the
optimized treatment had good color, texture with rehydration
ratio of 1:8.6. Equilibrium relative humidity of
dehydrated slices was 34.18% with an initial moisture
content of 4.6% at 28±1°C. Dehydrated slices were packed
in low density polyethylene (LDPE) and metallized
polyester polyethylene (MPP) pouches and stored at room
temperature (27–35°C) for 6 months. The dehydrated slices
were analyzed for changes in physicochemical composition
and sensory quality characteristic such as color and
appearance, texture and overall quality during storage.
Dehydrated ivy gourd slices remained acceptable during
storage of 4 and 6 months in LDPE and MPP pouches,
respectively, at room temperature.