FTIR-HATR spectroscopy coupled to multivariate analysis was used to monitor functional compounds degradation during dehydration of red bell pepper in a tray dryer.

A chemometric model based on the correlation between several quality parameters evaluated at different drying times and their corresponding FTIR spectra was developed.

Monitoring of red bell pepper functional compounds degradation along the drying process, showed that for drying times larger than those required to give a dry basis product moisture content of 0.1, a severe degradation of all studied parameters is produced.