Improvement of cured vanilla pod qualities (Vanilla Planifolia A.) with a combination of advanced sweating and drying methods”.

Cured vanilla pods are raw food materials that are used as flavor and aroma agents in various foods, such as ice cream, cookies, and syrup. Cured vanilla pods are produced by farmers through long post-harvest handling, including harvesting, withering, sweating, and drying, with high variation in quality. This research aims to study the combination of advanced sweating and drying methods to improve the quality of cured vanilla pods and shorten the drying time. Approximately 33 kg of harvested vanilla pods was subjected to a withering process by soaking in hot water at a temperature of 60-65°C for 2 min, followed by a sweating process for 48 h. Subsequently, the vanilla pods were treated with three duration times of advanced sweating (4,6, and 8 days) and two drying methods (greenhouse effect/GHE solar dryer and tray dryer). These processes were continued until the water content reached 30-35%. Physicochemical measurements and organoleptic tests were carried out to monitor the quality change of the vanilla pods during the treatments. The results showed that adding advanced sweating for 4, 6, and 8 days in the drying process significantly affected the water content, color, and vanillin content of cured vanilla pods. Vanilla pods treated with advanced sweating for 8 days in the tray dryer method produced the best quality cured vanilla pods with a shorter drying time of 8 days, compared with traditional drying for 20 days and the GHE solar dryer for 10 days to reach the desired water content (35%).