Effect of various drying methods on the physicochemical characteristics of pumpkin powder

Pumpkin, one of the most famous cultivars from Cucurbita moschata, is a rich source of carotenoid. However, having high water content (above 80%) makes pumpkin extremely perishable, and difficult to be processed and stored. Therefore, pumpkin needs a dehydration process in which could remove moisture content from the product but still able to uphold its natural color and minimum nutrient losses. We have carried out a comprehensive study to investigate the effect of different methods; sunlight drying (SD), cabinet drying (CD), and pneumatic drying (PD) on the physicochemical properties of pumpkin powder. The pneumatic dryer used was self-fabricated with a stainless steel plate (3 mm thickness) that has a total dimension of 1600x 500x 2500 mm. The physicochemical properties evaluated include final moisture content, the color difference (ΔE), carbohydrate, fat, protein, and β-carotene. CD produced powder with the lowest final moisture content. The mean value of ΔE of PD was the lowest as compared to SD and CD. The SD sample has the lowest mean FM value. Pneumatic drying exhibit good potential to produce pumpkin powder while retaining its color and nutritive values.