Sensory Attributes Of Osmotically Dehydrated Peaches

Osmotic dehydration process involves the partial removal of water from a given food using a hypertonic solution consisting of one or more solutes. The difference in osmotic pressure obtained from the system leads to a flow of water from the food to the solution, and an opposite flow of solutes from the syrup to the product, although in smaller proportions. Furthermore, a third flow of solids may take place from the food to the solution, which, although on a much smaller scale, may lead to a meaningful loss of product quality. Osmotic dehydration as a preliminary stage in the fruit dehydration process followed by hot-air drying is an option which generally results in a product with greater quality as compared to those obtained by conventional processes. This paper investigated the influence of temperature and concentration of sucrose syrup used in the osmotic dehydration of halved and sliced peaches. The degree of acceptance was evaluated in the sensory analysis for the following attributes: appearance, taste, texture, color and overall quality using a hedonic scale. Color variable was also analytically evaluated. An experimental central composite design was employed varying the temperature (30-50 °C) and concentration (45-65 °Brix). The process was carried out by fixing the syrup:fruit mass ratio (4:1) and the process time (4h). The results were modelled using the Statistica (v 6.0) program and Response Surface Methodology. Mathematical model of the color L*-parameter gave significant (p <0.05) and predictive results in both types of cut fruit. Models corresponding to the color and appearance sensory attributes gave significant (p