ABSTRACT
CONTENTS 19.1 Osmotic Processes and Their Effects ..........................................................................................433
19.1.1 Osmotic Dehydration ......................................................................................................433 19.1.2 Curing by Salts................................................................................................................435 19.1.3 Effects of Osmosis on Biological Materials ..................................................................435
19.2 Potential Advantages for Industry ................................................................................................436 19.2.1 Quality Improvement ......................................................................................................436 19.2.2 Energy Efficiency............................................................................................................437 19.2.3 Packaging and Distribution Cost Reduction ..................................................................437 19.2.4 Chemical Treatment Not Required ................................................................................437 19.2.5 Product Stability during Storage ....................................................................................438
19.3 Factors Affecting Osmotic Dehydration Process ........................................................................438 19.3.1 Types of Osmotic Agents ................................................................................................438 19.3.2 Concentration of Osmotic Solution ................................................................................438 19.3.3 Temperature of Osmotic Solution ..................................................................................439 19.3.4 Properties of Solute Used in Osmosis ............................................................................439 19.3.5 Agitation of Osmotic Solution........................................................................................439 19.3.6 Material Geometry ..........................................................................................................440 19.3.7 Osmotic Solution and Food Mass Ratio ........................................................................440 19.3.8 Physicochemical Properties of Food Materials ..............................................................440 19.3.9 Operating Pressure and Other Forces ............................................................................441
19.4 Problems in Applying the Osmotic Dehydration Process in the Food Industry..........................441 19.4.1 Product Sensory Quality ................................................................................................441 19.4.2 Syrup Management ........................................................................................................441 19.4.3 Process Control and Design............................................................................................442
References ..............................................................................................................................................442
Osmotic dehydration of foods has potential advantages in fruit and vegetable processing industries. This dehydration process generally does not produce a product of low moisture content that can be considered shelf stable. Consequently, the osmotically treated product should be further processed (generally by air, freeze-, or vacuum-drying methods) to obtain a shelf-stable product, or the dehydration process could be used as a pretreatment for canning, freezing, and minimal processing.
