INFLUENCE OF PRE-TREATMENTS AND DEHYDRATION PROCESS ON CHLOROPHYLLS RETENTION OF PARSLEY, CORIANDER AND PEPPERMINT LEAVES

The suitability of producing some dehydrated leafy vegetables and some medicinal plants were assessed. Also, the influence of the de­hydration process and storage at room temperature (25±5 °C) for up to three months on some chemical and physical properties of those dehy­drated plants was determined. The obtained data reveal that parsley leaves were rich in ascorbic acid content (676.10 mg/100g). Meanwhile, peppermint leaves were characterized for their high content of chlorophylls (2499.68mg/100g). It was also ascertained that ethanol was the most efficient solvent utilized for extraction of chloro­phylls. It was also revealed that steeping in cold sodium hydroxide solu­tion (0.2%) for one minute followed by steeping in sodium bicarbonate solution (0.3%) for 3 minutes was the best pretreatment for keeping the green brilliant color (chlorophylls). The obtained data also indicate that retained chlorophylls (as affected by dehydration) were 1167.03, 1254.96 and 1763.76 for parsley, coriander and peppermint respective­ly. On the other hand, the loss of ascorbic acid contents percentage was 60% in nearly all dehydrated plants. Finally, storage at room tempera­ture for up to three months has no pronounced effect on chemical prop­erties of dehydrated samples.