INFLUENCE OF VARIETY AND DRYING TEMPERATURE ON THE QUALITY OF SASKATOON BERRY LEATHER STRIPS

Abstract

The research was carried out in 2023 at Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy, Open Access Joint Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, in the Laboratory of Raw Plant Materials Quality. The study consisted of investigating four different saskatoon berries species ('Honeywood', 'Martin', 'Northline', and 'Smoky') and producing purees that were used to form 4-5mm leather strips and consequently dried for 10 hours at 50, 60, and 70 °C. Using standardized methods, we investigated dry matter content, protein content, and fiber content. The dry matter content of the studied berry leather strips ranged from 73.43 to 96.53 %. The study revealed that the biggest amount of protein and fiber content was found in 'Martin' species saskatoon berries' leather strips when dried at 50 °C. The lowest amount of fiber was found in 'Northline' species saskatoon berry leather strips when dried at 70 °C. Fiber is especially important to the human digestive system and has a considerable influence on regulating glucose levels in the blood as well as protecting from obesity, in addition to lowering the risk for heart and vascular diseases (Ayalew, 2020).