Physicochemical and organoleptic properties of hot-air dried oriental melon slices prepared using different physical pretreatments

The oriental melon poses challenges in terms of long-term storage and distribution. Addressing these issues requires an extension of the storage life through appropriate processing. In this study, pretreated hot-air dried oriental melon slices (steamed and freeze-thawed) were prepared, and their physicochemical and organoleptic properties were examined. The control group (CON) consisted of hot-air dried oriental melon slices without pretreatment, while the steamed group (STG) and freeze-thawed group (FTG) consisted of hot-air dried oriental melon slices pretreated using steaming and freeze-thawing methods, respectively. The moisture contents detected in the CON, STG, and FTG groups ranged from 15.96% to 27.30%, with variations of 7.53 to 8.40 °Brix for the soluble solid contents. The CON group showed the highest Hunter color value for lightness (L*) and the lowest value for redness (a*). The texture profile analysis revealed the highest hardness and chewiness in the order of STG > CON > FTG. Considerable differences were observed in springiness and adhesiveness in the FTG group compared to the other groups. The organoleptic evaluation showed that the CON group had the highest sensory scores for overall preference. These findings indicate that the properties of hot-air dried oriental melon slices were influenced by physical pretreatments and that manufacturing these slices without pretreatment is the most effective method in terms of processing simplicity and cost efficiency.