Comparative Study of Ber Fruit (Zizyphus mauritiana) Varieties Influenced by Different Dehydration Methods

Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana) is a seasonal crop, with limited harvesting periods, which further necessitates reliable preservation to extend its availability and economic viability throughout the year. The study evaluates the effect of various pre-treatments and dehydration techniques on two ber varieties—Gola and Thar Apple to improve drying efficiency, nutritional quality, and economic value. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was employed to evaluate the effects of different pre-treatment and dehydration methods on ber fruit. Nine treatments (T1–T9), including traditional sun drying, blanching, KMS (Potassium Metabisulfite) treatment, microwave blanching, and osmo-dehydration, were tested under sun, solar, and oven drying systems. All recorded data were statistically analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) under the CRD framework. Significant differences were observed among treatments for moisture content, drying rate, rehydration ratio, total soluble solids (TSS), sugars, and organoleptic quality. T5 (NaOH + citric acid with oven drying) and T8 (microwave blanching) emerged as most effective in retaining product quality. T5 (NaOH + citric acid) and T9 (osmo-dehydration) retained the highest ascorbic acid content—123.55 mg/100g and 121.33 mg/100g in Gola, respectively. Economically, T1 (control) yielded the highest net return (₹109/kg) and benefit-cost ratio (2.20). Gola showed slightly better adaptability to treatments. This study suggests tailored pretreatment-drying combinations can enhance ber products' marketability and nutritional profile.