DefinePK

Abstract

: Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a deliciousfruit grown in Pakistan. It is known as temperate gold inthe northern areas of Pakistan. Apricot is rich in nutrientslike vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants,carotenoids and xanthophylls but the fruit is highlyperishable and has a short shelf life. This study was carriedout to study the acceptability of apricot powder as afunctional instant drink and to determine the effect ofdehydration on the physicochemical properties of theapricot powder. Apricots were dried in a cabinet dryer toproduce their powder that afterward was utilized in theformulation of a drink. The apricot powder was stored for45 days with 0, 15, 30 and 45 days intervals for its shelflife study. The dehydrated apricots powder was subjectedto different physical and chemical analysis e.g. moisture, ash, fiber, bulk density, rehydration capacity, organic acid,antioxidant activity and total phenolic compounds. The resultsrevealed that the moisture content ranged from 3.38 to 7.35and the bulk density of the powder was increased from 34.37to 46.88 during the storage, while the rehydration capacitydecreased from 4.38 to 3.98 and the ascorbic acid contentsdecreased from 6.52 to 2.02 mg/100g gradually from 0 to 45days of storage. Total phenolic contents decreased from 109.91to 64.53 mg/100g GAE (Gallic Acid Equivalent) and theantioxidant activity of the powder was also decreased from65.83 to 28.54% during the storage of 45 days at ambienttemperature. Sensory characteristics of apricot powder drinkdepicted acceptable scores for color, taste, flavor andmouthfeel attributes. This study concludes that the apricotpowder with a long shelf life is quite suitable for thedevelopment of instant drink to harvest functional andnutraceutical benefits of apricot and to decrease economiclosses. © 2020 Department of Agricultural Sciences, AIOU