Quality of dried apricots: Effect of storage temperature, light and SO2 content

Effects of storage temperature, light and SO2 content on the quality of dehydrated apricots (moisture content of c 180 g water kg(-1)) were investigated. The samples, with SO2 contents, 300 and 1400 mg kg(-1), were stored for 9 months at 4, 11 degrees C and at room temperature (20-25 degrees C). Colour, browning, texture, soluble sugars and protein content were periodically determined. In samples with high SO2 content stored at different temperatures and samples with low SO2 which were refrigerated, the quality remained almost constant, meeting market requirements at the end of 9 months storage. Non-refrigerated samples, with a low SO2 content suffered intense browning reactions during storage, with losses of 15-26 units for L*, a* and b*, as well as losses in soluble sugars (150 g kg(-1)). Protein could not be detected at the end of the storage and furfural content was high (18-23 mg kg(-1)). The presence or absence of light did not appear to influence the quality of the product.