The mass transfer kinetics during osmotic dehydration of pomegranate arils in osmotic solution of sucrose was studied to increase palatability and shelf life of arils. The freezing of the whole pomegranate at -18 °C was carried out prior to osmotic dehydration to increase the permeability of the outer cellular layer of the arils. The osmotic solution concentrations used were 40, 50, 60°Bx, osmotic solution temperatures were 35, 45, 55 °C. The fruit to solution ratio was kept 1:4 (w/w) during all the experiments and the process duration varied from 0 to 240 min. Azuara model and Peleg model were the best fitted as compared to other models for water loss and solute gain of pomegranate arils, respectively. Generalized Exponential Model had an excellent fit for water loss ratio and solute gain ratio of pomegranate arils. Effective moisture diffusivity of water as well as solute was estimated using the analytical solution of Fick's law of diffusion. For above conditions of osmotic dehydration, average effective diffusivity of water loss and solute gain varied from 2.718 × 10(-10) to 5.124 × 10(-10) m(2)/s and 1.471 × 10(-10) to 5.147 × 10(-10) m(2)/s, respectively. The final product was successfully utilized in some nutritional formulations such as ice cream and bakery products.
The aim of this study was to optimize the spray drying process for beetroot juice. Influence of feed flow rate (8, 10 and 11 mL/min), processing temperature (140, 150 and 160 °C) and maltodextrin concentration (20, 25, and 30%) on packed bulk density, moisture content and betalain content of beetroot powder were assessed using response surface methodology. The following optimum process parameters were determined; feed flow rate feed flow rate of 10 mL/min, processing temperature of 149 °C and maltodextrin concentration of 20%. The predicted values for packed bulk density, moisture content and betalain content were 0.62 g/mL, 6.12 and 33.84 mg/100 g of dry matter, respectively. Within the optimum parameters, the experimental values for packed bulk density, moisture content and betalain content were 0.62 ± 0.1 g/mL, 6.10 ± 0.1 and 33.14 ± 0.1 mg/100 gm of dry matter. The similarity of the experimental results to the predicted values verified the models.
The present study aimed to optimize the process parameters for the development of ready-to-eat (RTE) instant sand pear candy using response surface methodology. The independent variables were solute concentration, process temperature and process duration. The responses evaluated for deciding the optimum conditions were water loss, solute gain, color difference, water activity, ascorbic acid, hardness and overall acceptability. The derived optimum conditions were used for the development of sand pear candy to check the validity of the quadratic model. The results showed that 70°Brix solute concentration, 70C temperature and 110.15-min duration were the most desirable optimum osmo-convective dehydration conditions for the development of RTE instant sand pear candy with a slight increase in crude fat, protein, ash and crude fiber. However, the percentage of total dietary fiber was found to be low as compared to the fresh fruit. Microstructural changes using scanning electron microscopy were also observed between the fresh fruit and candy.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSSand pear is a seasonal fruit available for a short period of time. However, owing to its nutritional benefits, it should be consumed regularly. Sand pear can be processed into candy so that it can be made available throughout the year for the consumers. Also, traditional candy-making process is a long time process (4-5 days), but the candy prepared from this method takes only 4-5 h with minimum loss of nutrients and time.
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