A study on the effect of processing conditions on the quality of dried products from off-grade raw cantaloupe

This study is to investigate the factors affecting the processing of dried products from the off-grade raw cantaloupe. The study was conducted to investigate the influence of the cantaloupe slice thickness (from 4 to 12 mm) and drying temperature (from 45 to 950C) on the processed product quality. This study finds out that the thickness of cantaloupe slice is of 10 mm and this size is relatively uniform. Then, it was soaked in sugar solution 45% (addition of 1% glycerol) for 1 hour at the rate of 1/1 and dried at 550C for about 12 hours to achieve the moisture content of 11-12%. After this process, the dried cantaloupe has a typical bright orange-yellow color of cantaloupe and its surface is dry. The processed product is also soft and has light aroma of cantaloupe, harmonious sweetness. After 8 weeks of storage in in a vacuum sealed PA bag at room temperature, this product still meets the specified requirements.