Development, Characterization and Process Optimisation of Foam- Mat Dried Tomato-Pepper-Onion Powder (TPOP Powder)

This study aimed to develop and optimize the foam-mat drying process for the production of shelf-stable tomato-pepper-onion powder (TPOP) with optimal quality characteristics using D-optimal design. The research commenced with the formulation of the TPOP mixture and investigated various ratios of the three major ingredients (tomato, pepper and onion) to achieve an optimal blend that offers a harmonious flavor profile and high nutritional value. Subsequently, the foam-mat drying process was explored, involving the use of foaming agents to stabilize air bubbles within the vegetable puree matrix. This process yielded a lightweight, porous and free-flowing powder with improved rehydration properties. A single process parameter namely drying temperature was optimized while keeping the whipping time of 7mins constant. The levels for various input variables were tomato (5 – 76%), pepper (5 – 78%), onion (5 – 80%), egg white (2 - 15%), carboxymethyl cellulose (0.15 - 0.75%) & drying temperature: 50-800C. Some selected physico-chemical, nutritional properties and sensory evaluation were conducted. The optimum condition with the best formulation of the mixture ingredients were found to be 67.26% tomato, 5.0% pepper, 20.0% onion, 7.59% egg white and 0.15% CMC at an optimum drying temperature of 61.940C. Results showed that foam-mat drying produced a powder with desirable physicochemical and nutritional properties. Sensory evaluation showed that the reconstituted powder had good acceptability.