Abstract:The method for improving the quality of dried fruits of Lycium barbarum and reducing the drying time was studied. The dried fruits of L. barbarum were soaked with water or Na2CO3 solution with different mass fractions（2%，4%，and 6%），and dried under natural conditions or by hot air. The color and rehydration rate of the dried fruits were determined，and the microstructure and volatile substances were analyzed.The results showed that the best treatment was hot air drying after pretreatment with 2% Na2CO3. In terms of drying methods，hot air drying was obviously superior to natural drying，since it required short drying time and the fruits dried by hot air had a small color difference，a high rehydration rate，and high volatile substance content.However，hot air drying destroyed the cell structure and led to a decline in fruit crystallinity compared with natural drying.The treatment with Na2CO3 led to saponification，which removed the wax layer on the fruit surface，increased the permeability of cell membrane，promoted the formation of water channels，shortened the drying time，decreased the color difference value，and increased the rehydration rate. However，the treatment with Na2CO3 solution dissolved the cellulose，resulting in decreased crystallinity. With the increase in the Na2CO3 concentration，the total color difference value and the rehydration rate increased slightly without significant changes.