Effects of different drying temperatures on flavor related quality of blueberry

BACKGROUND: Blueberries are rich in organic and inorganic compounds, such as sugars, proteins, polyphenols. But this fruit is highly perishable and difficult to store and transport. Currently, to increase their shelf life, blueberries are often processed into a variety of products. For example, drying is the most frequently processing method. However, the effect of the drying process on flavor and quality remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE: In this study, blueberries were hot air dried at 50, 60, 70, and 80°C. The effect of different drying temperatures on blueberries’ flavor substances and quality, including moisture content, color, reducing sugar, and free amino acids, were investigated. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a significant reduction in the moisture, reducing sugar, and free amino acid contents in dried blueberry products with the drying temperature(P <  0.05). In addition, 50°C significantly promoted the formation of free amino acids, linalool and, α-terpineol crucial flavor components present in blueberries (P <  0.05). Furthermore, minimum thermal damage was observed. In the flavor principal component analysis, the blueberry samples dried at 50°C were the closest to the raw material among all the temperatures tested. Therefore, 50 °C was more suitable for blueberries hot air drying and maintaining the high-quality. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study could explore the influence of different temperatures on the quality of blueberry-dried products and could help optimize the future production and industrialization of blueberries.