Drying of avocado peels using carbonation-ultrasonication as pretreatment: Energy consumption, antioxidant capacity and rheological properties

• Published in: Chemical engineering and processing Vol. 205; p. 110004
• Main Authors: Santos, Newton Carlos, Almeida, Raphael Lucas Jacinto, Monteiro, Shênia Santos, de Andrade, Eduardo Wagner Vasconcelos, Silva, Rosenildo dos Santos, Albuquerque, Juliana Cruz, de Figueiredo, Douglas Vinicius Pinheiro, Duarte, Diego Rodrigues, Pinheiro, Larissa da Silva Santos, Martins, Ana Nery Alves, Silva, Semirames do Nascimento, Dias, Raquel Alves de Luna, Pasquali, Matheus Augusto de Bittencourt, Rocha, Ana Paula Trindade
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2024
• Subjects: Avocado wastes; Kinetic models; Polyphenols; Ultrasound technology; Polyphenols; Avocado wastes; Kinetic models; Ultrasound technology
• ISSN: 0255-2701
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2024.110004

•Ultrasonication (US) combined with carbonation (CUS) were used as a drying pretreatment.•US and CUS caused a reduction of up to 15.38 % and 61.58 % in drying time, respectively.•Higher levels of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity were obtained when CUS was applied.•Monolayer moisture contents decreased with increasing temperature and the application of US and CUS.•US and CUS caused the weakening of the modulus of elasticity. Fruit processing by-products, especially peels are underused and mostly discarded as waste. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ultrasonication (US) combined with carbonation (CUS) on the convective drying process of avocado peels at different temperatures, adding value to this waste. For this, the avocado peels were treated with dry ice for 15 min and subjected to US (400 W/10 min, 30 °C) before convective air drying (50–70 °C). The energy consumption, antioxidant capacity, water adsorption isotherms, rehydration rate, and dynamic rheology of dried avocado peels pretreated by CUS were compared with a control process (without pretreatment) and only US pretreatment. The combined treatment (CUS70) resulted in a 2.6-fold reduction in drying time and a 2.3-fold decrease in energy consumption, with CO2 preserving bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity after the drying process. Differences were also observed in the rehydration capacity of the samples (CUS), with an increased water absorption capacity, along with a reduction in the viscoelastic properties of the peels. The results present new perspectives for the application of CUS in the food industry, paving the way for the development of creative, innovative, and simple approaches for the management and recycling of agri-food waste, with the potential to extend this knowledge to new food matrices. [Display omitted]