Combined ultrasound and osmotic pretreatment as innovative preservation strategies for enhancing the quality of dried mango slices

This study aims to enhance the quality of dried mango slices by reducing drying-induced degradation through osmotic and ultrasound pretreatment. Fresh mango slices were immersed in 10 g/dL sucrose, fructose, or trehalose solutions and subjected to ultrasound for 10, 20, or 30 min. Drying was conducted using a hot air convection dryer at 50, 60, and 70 °C with 30 % relative humidity. Quality was assessed based on drying time, nutritional content, texture, and microbial load. The optimal pretreatment involved 20 min of ultrasound with trehalose at 60 °C, preserving the best physicochemical and textural properties. This resulted in superior firmness (5938.33 ± 12.01), cohesiveness (13191.47 ± 42.85), elasticity (−0.17 ± 0.06), brittleness (79.63 ± 2.27), and gumminess (6.33 ± 0.6). Additionally, this method minimized color changes and microbial growth while retaining nutritional value . Although higher temperatures slightly reduced antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid content, pretreatment effectively preserved these qualities. The study highlights that while higher drying temperatures reduce drying time, they compromise nutritional and physicochemical properties. These findings can guide future research in developing ultrasound-assisted osmotic pretreatment methods to improve dried mango quality and shelf life.