Color Change and Chlorophyll Degradation during Fluidized Bed Drying of Moringa oleifera Leaves Andi Hasizah,1, a*) Salengke Salengke,2, b) Muspirah Djalal, 1, c) A. Amijoyo Mochtar,3, d) Arfina Sukmawati Arifin, 1, e)
1Department of Food Science, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
2Department of Agricultural Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Gowa Campus, Indonesia
Moringa oleifera leaves are rich in both macro and micronutrients and many researchers have indicated that regular consumption of moringa leaves can help in maintaining health and lowering the risks of chronic diseases. In order to increase shelf life and availability, moringa leaves must be dried and transformed into powder. During drying, color change due to thermal and enzymatic effects may occur which can change appearance and color quality. In this study, moringa leaves were dried at 35, 45, 55, and 65oC using fluidized bed dryer. In addition, samples dried at room temperature (shade drying) were also prepared for comparison. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fluidized bed drying on color change and chlorophyll contents of dry moringa leaves. The results of this study showed that drying temperature and duration can significantly affect the L, a*, and b* values and chlorophyll contents of dried moringa leave powder. The L values of all dried samples were significantly higher than that of fresh sample which indicate that the original green color of moringa leaves tended to fade during drying which increased lightness of the dry leaves. The magnitudes of the changes in the a* values were statistically significant. The b* values of the dry moringa samples were all in the positive region and significantly higher than that of the fresh sample which indicate that the color of the samples moved towards the yellow region. The effect of drying temperature on chlorophyll contents of dry moringa powder was also significant.
Keywords: Chlorophyll degradasion, fluidized bed drying, moringa oleifera leaves
