*3.2. TCD of Fresh and Dried Pomegranate Arils*

Storage of pomegranate fruit contributed to the changes in the TCD of fresh arils, and subsequently had a significant effect on the TCD of dried arils. A notable variation was observed in the TCD with increased storage period, with the highest TCD being 11.2 after the 12-week storage period (Table 1). For dried arils processed with hot-air and freeze-dryers, there was a significant (*p* < 0.0001) interaction in TCD (Table 2). Hot-air drying had the least (3.02), while freeze-dried arils had the highest (23.6) TCD after the 12-week storage period (Table 2). A change in TCD is an important attribute of a dried product, expressing the capacity of the human eye to distinguish between various colours attributed to different products [27]. Coklar et al. [39] reported similar findings where hawthorn fruit dried using a freeze dryer had a better colour appearance than fruit dried with oven and microwave dryers. Ali et al. [40] reported that freeze-dried guava fruit preserved its colour the best compared to sunlight and convective oven dryer. The colour change of dried arils could be influenced by the drying method involved and also by the naturally occurring biochemical changes happening during storage of pomegranate fruit.

**Table 2.** Changes in the physicochemical properties of dried pomegranate arils during 12 weeks of cold storage at 7 ± 0.3 ◦C, 92 ± 3% RH (w.b).


TSS, total soluble solids; TA, titratable acidity; TCD, total colour difference. Data presented as means ± SE in each row followed by different letters are significantly different (*p* < 0.05) according to Fisher's LSD.
