Some Quality and Microbiological Traits of Tokat Tarhana Obtained from Different Wheat Cultivars Under Various Drying Conditions

This study was carried out to evaluate the variations in some quality traits of Tokat red pepper tarhana samples according to the cultivars and drying techniques. For this aim, five white grained bread wheat cultivars such as Altınöz, Candaş, Gökkan, Şahika, and Yakamoz were used as material. And, tarhana samples were dried under open air, airflow oven and vacuum. The study was conducted with three replications according to the split plot design in random plots. All quality traits showed statistically significant variations for the bread wheat cultivars (C), drying techniques (DT), and DT×C interactions. Thus, airflow oven showed the highest values among the drying techniques for the contents of ash (8.5892%), total titration acidity (27.433%) and salt (6.842%). On the other hand, open air drying technique presented the highest values for moisture (14.556%), pH (4.349) and the density of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (1.4×104 CFU g-1 for M17 agar, 2.4×104 CFU g-1 for MRS agar. Also, Gökkan cv had the highest percents for all quality traits except LAB density. These findings showed that the most suitable bread wheat cultivar for Tokat red pepper tarhana was Gökkan cv, and the most favorable drying technique was open air drying. In addition, it is understood from the results that wheat cultivar and drying technique which used in tarhana production were essential factors. So, tarhana sector should choose the best wheat cultivar and drying technique to be used in tarhana production for consumer taste and healthy diet. From this study, it is understood that the open air drying is the most sustainable technique in terms of both production and consumption.