Research Information System
LWT, vol.242, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This work was to develop a processing strategy that simultaneously optimizes the drying time and quality of dried products. The fresh chili pepper was assigned into eight groups, being hot-air drying, CaCl2 + hot-air drying, freezing + hot-air drying, CaCl2 + freezing + hot-air drying, vacuum drying, CaCl2 + vacuum drying, freezing + vacuum drying, and CaCl2 + freezing + vacuum drying (Ca × FVD). Results showed that Ca × FVD had relatively better drying performance with moderate drying rate, rehydration capacity (1.31), water-holding capacity (3.66), and the largest expansion force (4.00 mL/g). Swebull2 was determined as the optimal model to predict the drying process of chili pepper. The dried chili pepper from Ca × FVD group maintained the color quality (L∗ = 43.43, a∗ = 38.90, b∗ = 23.73, and ΔE = 4.26) similar to the fresh samples and alleviated the loss of nutrients. The flavor of Ca × FVD product was featured by baking and nutty. Metabolomics analyses revealed that Ca × FVD could exert positive influences mainly via maintaining cell integrity, inhibiting oxidation and regulating Maillard reaction. All data suggest Ca × FVD has the potential to be a workable approach for manufacturing high-quality dried chili pepper.