The mortiño fruit (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz) has been recognized as an excellent source of antioxidants, phenolic compounds, and anthocyanins. Drying conditions, particularly temperature, often lead to food quality degradation. The present study investigated the influence of drying temperature (40, 50, and 60°C) on antioxidant activity, anthocyanin, and phenol content of mortiño. Four different thin layer drying models of drying kinetics (Modified page, Newton, Henderson & Pabis and, two-terms) were fitted to the experimental data. For antioxidant capacity determination, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power assays were used. The results showed that antioxidant capacity, and phenolic and anthocyanin content all decreased with increasing temperature and drying time. It was observed that phenols and anthocyanins were conserved in greater amounts at 60°C with 34% (5.85 mg gallic acid/g dm) and 32% (2.36 mg Cyanidin-3-glucoside/g dm) preservation of initial content, respectively. Drying kinetics models were compared based on their R² and root mean square error values between the experimental and predicted moisture ratios. The two-terms model was found to satisfactorily describe the drying curves for all temperatures evaluated, with a determination coefficient (R²) above 0.9987 and root mean square error lower than 0.0201.

Peach is a fruit highly appreciated by consumers; however, it is highly perishable, so drying is an alternative to preserve its physical and chemical properties. In this study, the effect of drying in natural and forced convection at three different temperatures (40 °C, 45 °C and 50 °C) and solar drying with two air velocities (1 m/s and 3 m/s) on the color, texture, total phenol content and antioxidant capacity of peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), were evaluated. The experimental data of the drying kinetics were adjusted to five different mathematical models (Page, Logarithmic, Two-term exponential, Wang and Singh, and Verma et al.). The model that best represented the experimental data in natural convection was the Wang and Singh model (r² > 0.998; RMSE < 0.016; χ² < 2.85 × 10⁻⁴); in forced convection (45 °C and 50 °C), it was the Verma et al. model (r² > 0.997; RMSE < 0.025; χ² < 8.12 × 10⁻⁴); and finally, for solar drying, it was the Logarithmic model at 3 m/s (r² = 0.999; RMSE < 0.012; χ² < 1.12 × 10⁻⁴) and Wang and Sing model (1 m/s) (r² = 0.998; RMSE = 1.31 × 10⁻⁴; χ² = 1.92 × 10⁻⁴). The highest color difference was in samples dried by the natural convection method. The highest values of hardness were obtained by the solar drying method. The value of chlorogenic acid increased with the temperature of natural convection, while the concentration of neochlorogenic acid increased with the temperature at forced convection. For solar drying, the values of chlorogenic acid were greater at 3 m/s; in contrast, the neochlorogenic acid was greater at 1 m/s.