Studies on effect of drying temperature and storage time on vitamin-C retention capacity and moisture content of papaya-apple fruit leather

In the present investigation a study was conducted to prepare fruit leathers from two different fruit pulps i.e. papaya and apple in various proportions. Further study was carried out in order to evaluate the vitamin C retention of prepared leathers at different temperatures such as 55°C, 65°C and 75°C. All fruit leathers were then analyzed for their organoleptic characteristics such as color, flavor, taste, appearance and overall acceptability during storage period. A study was also carried out to evaluate the moisture retention in storage of the prepared leathers in different packaging materials such as LDPE, HDPE, aluminum foil and PET jar. The results revealed that the fruit leathers dried at 65°C shown highest vitamin-C retention with better retention of sensory properties. All leathers remained unchanged during storage period but the leather stored in aluminum foil has shown a remarkable ranking as compared to others during storage period. LDPE package has shown greater moisture fluctuation, while aluminum foil shown significant moisture retention during storage. It was also observed during the study that all fruit leathers had identical color, flavor and appearance which cannot be compared with one another.