| Summary: | Apple fruits are high in phenolic compounds, sugar and dietary fiber content and are rich in malic acid and vitamins, with a significant impact on the organoleptic quality and its health-promoting properties. They can be turned out in value-added product such as apple chips due to the low cost of raw material. The aim of the study was to obtain apple chips, fat-free, healthy, traditionally dried and without added sugar, which can be easily obtained and capitalized economically, as well as the evaluation of their physico-chemical and sensory qualities. The apple chips were produced from three apple cultivars (‘Starkrimson’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Florina’) by drying the apple fruits in an oven and a dehydrator at 65 °C. To inactivate the browning enzymes, the apple slices were immersed in a solution of lemon salt (4%) for 7 min before drying. Apple chips were sensory-evaluated and relevant parameters were analyzed at defined intervals during storage at room temperature up to 21 days. The water activity (<i>aw</i>) values of apple chip samples dried in the oven ranged from 0.544 to 0.650, while for the samples dried in the dehydrator, <i>aw</i> values were between 0.374 and 0.426. During the storage, the <i>pH</i> of apple chips varied very little, while titratable acidity increased for all samples. Compared with fresh apple slices, it was observed that the total soluble solids (<i>TSS</i>) content of all dried apple chip samples decreased. Color parameters and browning and whitening indexes differed depending on the apple cultivars and dryer type used.
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