摘要：The effect of pre-treatment and temperature on the quality and the drying rate of tomatos (Lycopersicon esculentus) were studied. A 3× 5 factorial experiment in a randomized complete block (RCBD) design was used. Firm and fresh ripe tomatoes were washed and sliced to a uniform thickness of 5mm, pre-treatment by boiling for 3 minutes was given to some of the sliced tomatoes while some were blanched by soaking in water at 900C for 3 minutes and the remaining part was dried raw. 200g each of the sample was dried at temperatures of 50, 55, 60, 65, and 700C in a cabinet drier until no moisture removal was observed. The moisture removal from the samples in the cabinet was observed and measured on an hourly basis and the vitamin C content of the dried samples was also analyzed. The results obtained for the drying rate and Vitamin C content were statistically analyzed using SPSS software to generate the ANOVA and DNMRT. It was found that samples dried at higher temperatures had higher drying rates irrespective of the pre-treatment. Raw samples and Samples dried at lower temperatures had better quality in terms of vitamin C retention.
