Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of gum Arabic coatings of different concentrations (1, 5, and 10%) on quality attributes (dry matter [DM], water activity [a
w
], total soluble solids [TSS], pH, and browning index [BI]) of sun-dried raw and blanched tomato slices during storage (6 months). Coating at higher concentration (5 and 10%) coupled with blanching reduced the a
w
and rate of increase in DM content during storage. There was no significant difference in the TSS and pH of coated and uncoated slices. Also, coating of tomato slices reduced the BI during storage and this decreases with increase in the concentration of gum Arabic. Also, the blanching has a synergistic effect in reducing the BI compared to raw slices. High concentration of gum Arabic coating prior to drying is effective in increasing the shelf-life of tomato slices.