Comparative analysis of the effect of different drying methods on the quality parameters of tomato powder

This study investigates the impact of different drying systems on the quality parameters of tomato powder. The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare the effects of different drying methods on the quality parameters of tomato powder. Fresh matured and ripped tomatoes were procured, sorted, graded, washed and sliced with the thickness of 3 mm. The tomatoes were dried by three different methods viz. oven drying at 60°C, tent drying and open sun drying, milled into powder using kitchen blender and packed into air tight nylon bags for moisture content and quality parameters determination. The relevant test methods were used to determine quality parameters of the tomato powder. The relevant test methods were used to determine the results of the study showed that the samples have significant differences on the proximate and minerals content but between the samples. The findings show that there is no significant difference at 95% confidence interval. The R-square value of 0.535 and 0.980 for both proximate and minerals respectively are a measure of goodness of fit. It means the model explains 53 and 98% variation embedded in the response variable. There was no statistically significant difference between the samples (oven, sun and tent drying at p > 0.05. This suggests that any of the drying mediums can serve as a good source of drying for tomato powder production. However, since tent drying has the highest nutrients by composition, this study suggests the use of tent drying for production of tomato powder. Further research is needed in order to optimize the drying process of tomato powder and improve its quality parameters.