_Applied_  
_sciences_  
_Article_  
**Influence of Drying Type of Selected Fermented Vegetables**  
**Pomace on the Natural Colorants and Concentration of Lactic Acid Bacteria**  
**[PERSON] 1,*()**, **[PERSON] 1, [PERSON] 2()** and  
**[PERSON] 3()**  
Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences--SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences--SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
Department of Gastronomy Science and Functional Foods, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 31, 60-624 Poznan, Poland; anna.gramza@up. Poznan.pl  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS]; Tel. : +48-22-5937366  
**Featured Application: Powders obtained from freeze-dried fermented pomace can be used as a source of pigment and LAB. After analysis, it could be stated that future tests for drying conditions, of convective drying as well as freeze-drying, are needed to obtain higher concentrations of bacteria. **  
**Citation:** [PERSON] [PERSON]; [PERSON]; [PERSON]; [PERSON] [PERSON] Influence of Drying Type of Selected Fermented Vegetables Pomace on the Natural Colorants and Concentration of Lactic Acid Bacteria. _Appl. Sci._**2021**, _11_, 7864. [[https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177864](https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177864)]([https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177864](https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177864))  
Academic Editors: [PERSON] and [PERSON]  
Received: 29 June 2021  
Accepted: 24 August 2021  
Published: 26 August 2021  
**Published:** MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. and the degree of multiplication of lactic acid bacteria [3]. Fermented food has a special quality, texture and taste, and has a beneficial effect on health [4; 5]. In the lactic acid fermentation process, the use of starter cultures increases the chance for the desired microbiota to dominate over the other microorganisms, and to carry out a proper and controlled lactic acid fermentation process. A properly selected starter culture may also fulfill a protective and technological function, which may lead to the elimination or reduction of chemical or thermal preservation methods [6]. Traditional fermentation of vegetables depends on the microorganisms found in the raw material and is carried out spontaneously. The utilization of the LAB strain depends on the fermented matrix. Using lactic acid bacteria could introduce a potential method to improve the sensory and nutritional quality of fermented food [7]. Plant-derived LAB strains such as _Lactiplantiobacillus plantarum_ are most commonly used for the fermentation of the plant matrix [8; 9; 10]. LAB strains such as _Levilactobacillus brevis_ or _Limosilactobacillus fermentum_ can also be used for the fermentation of fruits and vegetables due to the possibility of fermentation of sugars present in these raw materials [11]. The commonly used in the fermentation process raw materials are: carrot, tomato, red bell pepper, cabbage, cucumber and beetroot. The pickled products can be eaten whole (fermented vegetables) or transferred into juices. During the production of fermented juices, one of the technologies involves fermenting whole vegetables and then pressing them for juice. During pressing, pomace is produced, which is classified as a waste from the fruit and vegetable industry. Currently, waste management in the world is heading towards transforming as much as possible into useful products, using processes involving microorganisms [12; 13]. What's more, pomaces are rich in active substances such as polyphenols, natural pigments, fiber, vitamins and minerals [14; 15; 16] and LAB. One of the ways of using pomace is adding it to food, most often in a dried powdered form [17]. Drying is a basic process in the food industry [18; 19]. The quality of dried products depends on the application of the appropriate drying method.