Production of dehydrated cabbage on an industrial scale: A comparative evaluation of quality, nutritional, and chemical components.

Drying is widely used in industrial cabbage processing. Here, different drying methods were applied for the production of dehydrated cabbage on industrial scale. The microwave-assisted hot air drying (MW + HAD) treatment produced superior quality, as reflected in improved color, hardness, and rehydration raThese authors have contributed equally to this work.tio, and also showed higher retention of chlorophyll A, free amino acids, total phenol content, and antioxidant capacity compared to individual hot air drying (HAD) or microwave drying (MD). Our findings revealed 98 volatile compounds across all samples, with aldehydes the most predominant in dehydrated cabbage. Notably, MW + HAD increased both diversity (93 vs. 71 compounds) and content (1336.01 vs. 719.08 μg/100 g) of volatile flavor compounds compared with conventional HAD. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 42,028 metabolite ions, with greater release and generation of cinnamic acids and derivatives, triterpenoids, and alkaloids in thermal drying treatments (HAD, MD, and MW + HAD) compared with freeze drying. Overall, MW + HAD provides clear benefits for maintaining cabbage quality and its nutritional and volatile constituents, supporting its use as an effective industrial drying method.