Pretreatment process optimization for sweating and pulp removal during origin fresh processing of Aurantii fructus

Systematic evaluation was conducted on effects of sweating and pulp removal pretreatment during origin fresh processing with drying characteristics, color, and antioxidant capacity of Aurantii fructus．Results showed that pulp removal and fresh slicing significantly（P<0.05）shortened drying time of Aurantii fructus．Pulp removal and non-sweating treated samples reduced drying times of Aurantii fructus by 10%, while pulp removal and sweating treatment shortened by 35%．Pulp removal and fresh slicing treatment reduced drying time by up to 75%．Sweating pretreatment further promoted color darkening of Aurantii fructus in drying process（from light green to greenish-brown）, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and preserved total flavonoids content．Sweating and pulp removal treatment increased total flavonoids content by 33.52%, primarily attributed to sweating（35 °C, 75% humidity for 24 hours）accelerating internal moisture diffusion within Aurantii fructus, thereby effectively shortening subsequent drying time; stimulating conversion of secondary metabolites; and alleviating thermal damage caused by drying process．In summary, fresh slicing process significantly improved drying efficiency of Aurantii fructus．Combining pulp removal with sweating as a dual pretreatment demonstrated significant advantages in enhancing drying efficiency, improving color quality, strengthening antioxidant capacity, and retaining bioactive components．A theoretical basis and technical pathways for optimizing local primary processing techniques at origin have been provided．