Effects of vacuum-steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) and storage on β-carotene, color, total phenolics, antioxidant capacity and volatile profiles of dried carrots

The effect of different vacuum-steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) and storage conditions on the changes in quality attributes of dried carrots were investigated. The fingerprints of volatile profiles of carrots stored in the presence of oxygen and the absence of light were constructed. The principal component analysis and similarity analysis were used to analyze the differences between samples. Drying of carrots subjected to VSPB resulted in 59.9–69.7, 31.89–39.10, 25.67–48.62 (DPPH), and 36.40–44.33% (FRAP) reduction in β-carotene, total phenolics, and antioxidant capacity, respectively. The values of parameter a*, parameter b*, β-carotene, total phenolics, and antioxidant capacity decreased after storage. The Weibull model accurately described the degradation kinetics of chemical components. Fingerprint allowed to identify and evaluate the differences in the types and contents of volatile compounds of dried carrots subjected to VSPB and storage. The findings of this study indicate that proper blanching conditions allow for obtaining high-quality dried carrots and improve their storage stability.