Colour changes during the drying of apricots

In this study, colour changes in different drying settings in the Hacıhaliloğlu type of fresh apricots obtained from Malatya region has been examined. The drying process was carried out both, preprocessed and non-preprocessed, in the shade and in the sunlight, at different temperatures in normal drying-oven and at different power levels in microwave heating. As pretreatment, the appricots were applied sulphur (SO2), 5% Na2S2O5 solution and 2% Ethyl Oleate + 5% Na2S2O5 solution.Through this study, in which colour changes during the drying process of apricots were investigated, colour brightness (Hunter L), green and red colour parameter (Hunter a), blue and yellow colour parameter (Hunter b), colour vividness (C), Hue angle (h) that is, the angular colour circle, browning index (BI) and total colour change were examined. At the end of the drying process applied, all the colour parameters measured prior to the treatment changed in all apricot samples depending on time. The group of apricot samples that best kept pre-drying colour contents was the sulfurized and those 2% Ethyl Oleate + 5% Na2S2O5 solution were applied. Non-pre-processed and 5% Na2S2O5 solution applied apricots, on the other hand, could not maintain their initial colour contents sufficiently. In all apricot samples, the most significant colour change within the shortest time was measured during microwave drying. The colour change observed in the longest period was in the shade and in the sunlight. In addition, depending on increased temperature in normal oven environment and increased power in microwave oven, the amount of changes in all colour parametres become more distinctive and the drying period gets considerably shorter.