Effect of Edible Coating on Antioxidants and Certain Properties of Dried Jerusalem Artichoke.

Most food industries try to solve the problem of dried food quality by using optimum pre-treatments before subjecting to hot air drying. The edible coating is considerably extended shelf-life of dried foods. The objectives of this research were to investigate the effect of edible coating agents (modified cassava starch and sodium caseinate) on properties of dried Jerusalem artichoke (JA) slices.Pieces of the sample were coated by dipping in the coating solution for 10 min both for atmospheric coating (AC) and vacuum coating (VC). The weight ratio of the sample to the solution was 1:2. The VC was conducted in a closed desiccator connected to a vacuum pump with a residual pressure of 150 m bar controlled during 10 min of dipping.The coating agents resulted in improvements in product qualities. Browning and shrinkage were reduced significantly (p<0.05). The antioxidant properties were similar between a hot air-dried product and a freeze-dried product. There was no observed benefit of using vacuum pressure rather than atmospheric pressure. Sensory acceptance of coated products was similar to that of an uncoated product.The edible coating with modified cassava starch or sodium caseinate was, therefore, an efficient pre-treatment and could be applied with conventional drying to produce healthy fruit and vegetable snacks by using a simple and inexpensive method.