Effect of Different Dehydration Methods on Organoleptic Attributes and Quality of Pineapple Candy

Drying is one of the dehydration methods used for preservation of fruits and vegetables from ancient time. In the recent years osmotic dehydration has been gaining popularity due to its effectiveness in enhancing the quality of the product and consumer acceptability. The main aim of the present study was to assess the effect of different dehydration methods on organoleptic attributes and shelf life of osmotic dehydrated pineapple candy. After soaking the 1.5 cm thickness pineapple slices in the 60° brix sugar syrup for 24 hr. the slices were dried by following 2 treatments namely T1- solar dehydration under solar dryer and T2- sun drying. The Hedonic rating scale was administered to 30 panellists to assess the sensory attributes of dehydrated pineapple slices. The results indicated that dehydrated pineapple slices under solar dryer scored high in all six organoleptic attributes i.e., colour, flavour, taste, texture, appearance and overall acceptability. From the study it was found that T1 have longer shelf life than T2.