The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of the dual-stage (D3S) technique as a pretreatment on
mango drying kinetics and on product quality. This pretreatment consisted in two stages, in which highcalorie
sugars are partially removed from fruit samples in the first stage and, in the second stage, lowcalorie
sugar (Stevia-derived) is incorporated to the fruit to maintain its sweetness. The drying process
was conducted in a fixed bed dryer at 60 C and air velocity of 2 m/s. Experimental data were fitted
successfully using the two-term exponential model. The dried pretreated samples presented faster
drying rates. Evaluation of the final product was performed by means of total phenolic content, total
carotenoid content, water activity, texture, color and sensorial test. Samples subjected D3S process had
lower phenolic and carotenoid contents, reduced water activity, their texture was softer, and color difference
was smaller compared to untreated samples. Sensory evaluation showed pretreated sample with
good acceptance