“Osmotic dehydration of pineapple”

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical fruit. It is native to Central and South America. It is grown on large scale in India and now India is the second largest producer of fruits after Brazil.

Effects of osmotic dehydration on mass transfer and weight reduction during osmotic dehydration of pineapple cubes were investigated in order to determine the usefulness of this technique as pretreatment for further drying of pineapple cubes. Water loss, weight reduction and solids gain increased with treatment time. The maximum mass transfer during osmotic dehydration of pineapple cubes was in the sample treated with 60° brix while minimum mass transfer was observed in sample treated with 40° brix. In the oven drying the pineapple cubes dipped in 60° brix syrup showed maximum weight reduction up to 60 grams. The best sample found after organoleptic evaluation was the sample treated with 60° brix solution which scored highest points for flavor, texture, mouth feel and color.