Quality Changes of Red Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) Slices Dried in Hot Air, Microwave-Hot Air and Microwave-Vacuum Dryers

Quality changes of red pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) slices dried in hot air, microwave-hot air and microwave-vacuum dryers were investigated. The quality parameters were colour, water activity, shrinkage, rehydration ratio, ascorbic acid content and visual market quality. Microwave-vacuum produced pitaya with the best quality compared to hot air and microwave-hot air. Pitaya dried in microwave vacuum had the highest rehydration ratio while the other methods presented similar rehydration ratios. Ascorbic acid in dried pitaya was also better retained when drying by microwave-vacuum. Apart from that, the drying time of pitaya dried in microwave-vacuum could be reduced by 83% compared to hot air.