Incorporation of Kombucha Bacterial Cellulose to Produce Tomato Leathers via Cast‐Tape Drying

Bacterial cellulose from kombucha production is a by‐product with a slight sour taste and potential food applications. The current research aimed to produce tomato leathers by cast‐tape drying (CTD) incorporating kombucha bacterial cellulose (KBC), specifically investigating its impact on rheological properties, drying performance, and product physicochemical properties and acceptability. Tomato leathers were dried using a Teflon support at 98°C and air velocity of 1.0 ± 0.1 m s −1 with a relative humidity of 60% and a temperature of 24.5°C. The substitution of tomato puree by KBC (1%–2% w/w) increased the viscosity of systems, yet it still allowed uniform spreading during the CTD process. However, the drying time increased from 7 to 9 min when KBC was added to the tomato puree. Tomato leathers showed homogeneous aspects and were completely soluble in water. Furthermore, the substitution of tomato puree by KBC did not modify the antioxidant properties (DPPH inhibition around 20%) of tomato leathers and reconstituted leather acceptability (mean score of approximately 6) due to KBC's antioxidant properties and its similar sour taste to tomato puree, respectively. These results demonstrated that KBC can be used as a natural additive in tomato leathers without altering their functional properties and acceptability.