Pilot Commercialization of Dehydrated Strawberry Products

Abstract

Dehydrated strawberry products namely: Infused-dried strawberries, strawberry pinwheel, and strawberry champoy were pilot tested. Procedures were standardized and a cost and return analysis was done. Results show that the optimum temperature for drying is 70°C for 36 hours. In descending order, the recovery rates for the three products are the following: strawberry champoy (38%), infused-dried strawberries (33. 75%), and strawberry pinwheel (29%). The Moisture contents after drying were: infused-dried strawberries (3.37%); strawberry pinwheel (3. 70%); and strawberry champoy (4.87%).

Dehydrated strawberry products contain appreciable amounts of energy, calcium, phosphorus and minimal amounts of iron, proteins, and dietary fiber. Infused-dried strawberry and strawberry pinwheel were rated as "liked very much" while strawberry champoy was "liked moderately". All these dehydrated strawberry products show high market potential among tourists and local market.