EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION PROCESS AND STORAGE PERIOD ON QUALITY PROPERTIES OF SOME FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONCENTRATES

This study was carried out to follow up quality changes occurred in some fruit and vegetable concentrates during processing and storage. Orange, apple and tomato concentrates were evaluated for some quality attributes such as TSS%, acidity, vitamin C, carotene, pH and specific gravity. The obtained results indicated that vitamin C content of orange concentrate was decreased as a result of both the concentration process and storage period. While, it was increased from 0.38 mg/100 ml. in fresh apple to 1.33 in apple concentrate. As for tomato concentrate, reducing sugar content increased from 1.277% in fresh to 6.55% after three months of storage. Finally, it could be stated that concentration process and storage period highly affected the chemical and physical quality properties of the studied concentrates.