Changes in flavor profile of vegetable seasonings by innovative drying technologies: A review

Abstract

Seasonings like garlic, ginger, and scallion provide spicy and masking flavor or aroma in vegetables. However, the method or technique used for drying these spices can affect the flavor profile. Therefore, this review focuses on vegetable seasonings like ginger, garlic, and scallion, the characteristic flavor of fresh and dehydrated vegetable seasoning, and how drying methods (freeze-drying [FD], convective hot air drying [HAD], infrared drying, microwave drying [MW]), and other recent dryers (swirling fluidized bed [SFB], pulsed-vacuum dryer, relative humidity-convective dryer, etc.) affect the flavor profile of the common vegetable seasonings. HAD increases α-zingiberene, reduces gingerol, and forms β-citral and citral in fresh ginger. FD increased sesquiterpenes, retained terpenoids, sulfides, and other volatiles in fresh ginger, and did not produce new volatile compounds (VOCs) in garlic. SFB drying better preserves 6-gingerol than FD and HAD. MW increases trisulfides and cyclic sulfur compounds in garlic. In general, drying, especially thermal drying reduces the VOCs in fresh garlic, ginger, and scallion and causes the formation of new VOCs.