Influence of Drying Method on Some Physical and Chemical Properties of Pears

In Portugal, pears are traditionally dried by a direct sun exposure method, which has many disadvantages. Therefore, alternative dryings are being tested. The objectives of this study were to evaluate how drying influences some properties of pears: moisture, dimensions, water activity, pH, °Brix, acidity, and color. In particular, color is a very important quality attribute of these dried pears. Thus, the different systems should produce products with the same color as the traditional method. The results indicated that the alternative drying methods, if they include sun exposure, allowed us to obtain products similar to the traditional ones.