The investigation of the effects of different ripening stages, harvest and drying methods on quality of sun-dried apricot production in Hacihaliloglu and Kabaasi cultivars

Dried apricot is among the traditional export products of Turkey. In our country, apricots are dried by two methods: "Sun Drying" and "Sulphurized". This study was carried out to determine some physical and chemical changes in Hacıhaliloğlu and Kabaaşı apricot varieties dried in wooden fruit drying racks and cloths after harvesting in different harvesting periods (early harvest, late harvest), harvesting with different methods (harvesting by hand, shaking) in 2017 and 2018. After fruits harvested, titratable acidity, browning level, total phenolic content, total antioxidant activity (ABTS), color (L, a, b), pH, humidity and water activity (aw) parameters were examined. In the study, it was determined that different harvesting periods, methods and drying methods significantly (P<0,05) affected the fruit quality parameters. The L value, which is an important quality criterion for dried apricot, showed higher values in apricots dried on wooden fruit drying racks than dried on the cloths. As a matter of fact, L values of dried apricots ranged from 27,13 to 54,74. Similarly, moisture content and water activity values were also found to be lower in apricots dried on wooden fruit drying racks than dried on clothes. When chemical parameters were examined, it was observed that phenolic compounds and total antioxidant contents decreased with fruit ripening. The effect of the applications on drying efficiency was not determined as significant, on the contrary, the individual weights of the dried apricots harvested in the late period were significantly found higher and the number of dried apricots per kilogram was lower. As a result, it was determined that in sun dried apricot production, harvesting at late period and the drying on wooden fruit drying racks positively affected various quality parameters.