Effect of Infrared, Ultraviolet-C Radiations and Vacuum Drying on Certain Chemical and Microbial Characteristics of Stuffed Pasta (Manti)

Stuffed pasta (manti) is one of the famous and nutritious traditional foods produced and consumed in Turkey. Traditional foods are special products having some cultural aspects of specific regions of countries. In addition to home-made traditional production, industrial production of manti has increased in recent years. Industrial production of manti using various techniques is likely to result in some risks or modifications in terms of its sensory and microbiological features. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine quality properties of manti samples produced by sole or combined applications of infrared (IR) and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiations and vacuum drying as compared to the traditional oven drying method. With this aim, some food-borne pathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes) were inoculated into the manti recipe prior to the production. Afterwards, the samples were dried with 17 different IR, UV-C and vacuum drying combinations, including the traditional oven drying method. In addition to the, total microorganisms and food-borne pathogens, some chemical analyses like Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) measurement as an indicator of lipid oxidation was also studied. In the results, application of 500 W IR drying method produced satisfactory results in terms of microbiological quality. Again, a bar-type IR drying method at constant temperature (150 oC) seems to be a promising drying method for the industrial manti production. In conclusion, it might be suggested that IR drying method can be an alternative to the conventional method in industrial manti production.