Effect of drying condition on Leonforte peaches

Leonforte peaches ripen in September and October and even as late as November. They are wrapped in paper bags to protect them from the wind and parasites and are harvested only when perfectly ripe. Protected inside the bags, they ripen late and take on a bright yellow colour with red streaks. Wonderfully scented, the peach boasts yellow, firm flesh that is sweet with a distinctive, slightly caramelized flavour. Aim of this paper was to set a drying process for fresh fruit transformation. In fact, the fruit harvest is limited in a very short time, so is important to find a conservation method. Drying process was carried out in a pilot plant setting different temperature and time condition. Texture analyses colour and chemical parameters such as carotenoids, were evaluated to find the best process condition. Dried peaches showed the same final content of water at different drying treatment. Samples dried at 60°C for 9 hours showed the best characteristics in terms of colour and texture. The carotenoids content loss was acceptable in dried products in comparison to fresh peaches.