INTRODUCTION

Fruits are important sources of digestible and indigestible minerals, carbohydrates and
certain vitamins, particularly vitamins A and C. Osmotic dehydration has been successfully
used to reduce water activity of fruits and vegetables to about 0.9, keeping much of originally
quality. Osmotic dehydration can be applied either as an autonomous process or as a
processing step in alternative schemes leading to a variety of end products. During osmotic
dehydration, product continuously immersed in the osmotic solution makes the process
oxygen free. Therefore, there is no need to use sulphur dioxide or blanching for protection
against oxidative and enzymatic discoloration. Moreover, also, the process takes place under
mild heat treatment that is under 50 C which further improve colour and flavour retention,
resulting superior sensory characteristics. Osmotic dehydration is the process of water
removal by immersion of water containing cellular solids in a concentrated aqueous solution
of sugar or salt. This results in intermediate moisture product with lower water activity. At
low water activity, most of the chemical reactions which deteriorate the food, the growth and
toxins production by microorganisms are ceased.

Besides, osmotic dehydration improves the colour, flavour and texture and is less
energy intensive process compared air or vacuum drying process. Osmotic dehydration
process has been applied to many fruits and vegetables such as apple, apricot, pineapple,
carrot cherry, citrus fruits, papaya, guava and others. Osmotic dehydration reduces enzymatic
browning as more product stability during storage due to lower activity by solute gain and
water loss. By using osmotic dehydration, flavour retention is also more when sugar or sugar
syrup is used as osmotic agent. The main disadvantage of the osmotic process is it may
increase the saltiness and sweetness of the products.

OBJECTIVES :

1. To describe the methods of preparing sugar glazed dried fruit using osmotic
dehydration technique
2. To describe and explain the differences in physical and sensory characteristics of the
products from each treatment.
MATERIALS

1. Green Apple

2. Pineapple

3. Sugar

4. Water

APPARATUS

1. Knife

2. Chopping board

3. Stainless steel bowl

4. Drying trays

5. Pot

6. Plastic wrap

7. Beaker

8. Weighing balance

9. Measuring balance

10. Water activity meter

11. Colorimeter

TYPES OF TREATMENT

INGREDIENT / DEMO 2 3 4
GROUP

Day 1
20% syrup 20% syrup 30% syrup 50% syrup
Day 2
30% syrup - - -
Day 3
50% syrup - - -
METHODOLOGY
The fruit was washed and The fruit was peeled, trimmed
rinsed with clean water bruised portions and cut into
uniform cubes (3cm X 3cm)

20%, 30% and 50% sugar The water activity and colour of
syrup were prepared and raw fruits was checked
boiled

The fruit was added to the

boiled syrup solution in a The heat was removed and left
ratio 1:2 (w/w) and it to soak overnight
simmered for 5 minutes

The fruit was strained and The fruit was drained and
placed it on drying trays and water activity was checked
dried at temperature of 45C
for 8 hours

For demo, the fruits was

strained and transferred to For day 3, step number 7 was
30% sugar syrup solution (day repeated with 50% sugar
2). The fruit was soaked syrup solution
overnight

The fruits was placed on The fruit was drained and

drying trays and dried at water activity was checked
temperature of 45 C for 8
hours

Water activity and colour of the fruit after drying was checked
RESULT

A. SINGLE OSMOTIC PROCESS OF APPLE

Colour
Water activity
Analysis BEFORE (RAW) AFTER SOAKING AFTER DRYING
before and
AFTER AFTER
after drying RAW IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT
SOAKING DRYING

20% syrup L : 24.39 L : 13.89 L : 35.45 L : 39.36 L : 43.80 L : 32.91

solution 0.90 0.89 0.71 a : -2.66 a : -7.03 a : -0.23 a : -0.66 a : 1.74 a : 1.52
b : 13.77 b : 20.34 b : 13.10 b : 29.14 b : 16.10 b : 28.64

30% Syrup L : 40.29 L : 27.38 L : 49.73 L : 46.10 L : 47.83 L : 45.67

solution 0.94 0.95 0.79 a : -3.68 a : -9.24 a : -1.80 a : -1.77 a : -0.78 a : -0.67
b : 12.97 b : 22.80 b : 16.40 b : 26.85 b : 16.83 b : 33.50

50% Syrup L : 32.56 L : 30.46 L : 37.63 L : 37.03 L : 27.50 L : 22.84

solution 0.9978 0.92 0.76 a : -3.74 a : -12.79 a : 0.34 a : 0.65 a : 3.44 a : 1.25
b : 114.42 b : 31.44 b : 15.19 b : 30.24 b : 23.82 b : 21.63
B. SINGLE OSMOTIC PROCESS OF PINEAPPLE

Water activity Colour

Analysis before
and after
drying AFTER AFTER
RAW BEFORE (RAW) AFTER SOAKING AFTER DRYING
SOAKING DRYING

20% syrup L : 58.02 L : 61.86

L : 39.20
solution 0.9995 0.9801 0.87 a : -1.44 a : -1.74
a : -3.22
b : 15.02 b : 23.19
b : 16.49

30% Syrup L : 37.80

solution 0.92 0.90 0.79 a : -1.10 L : 30.18 L : 21.74
b :13.33 a : -2.29 a : 2.41
b : 13.49 b : 20.02

50% Syrup L : 41.62

L : 43.94 L : 15.59
solution 0.91 0.89 0.73 a : - 1.36
a : 43.98 a : 3.70
b : 17.38
b : 11.86 b : 8.95
C. CONTINUOS OSMOTIC PROCESS OF APPLE

Colour
Analysis RAW AFTER SOAKING AFTER SOAKING AFTER SOAKING AFTER DRYING
before and 20% 30% 50%
after drying
IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT

Treatment
with
20%,30% L : 29.28 L : 23.87 L : 37.00 L : 22.12 L : 42.33 L : 47.36 L : 28.04 L : 43.95 L : 29.21 L : 27.58
and 50% a : -1.61 a : -13.68 a : -1.95 a : -0.68 a : -2.10 a : -0.80 a : -0.21 a : 0.45 a : 3.62 a : 1.58
syrup b : 14.87 b : 35.95 b : 16.04 b : 28.77 b : 13.70 b : 31.54 b : 8.26 b : 27.29 b : 22.84 b : 12.52
solution

Water
activity 0.87 0.93 0.94 0.93 0.78
D. CONTINUOS OSMOTIC PROCESS OF PINEAPPLE

Analysis before and

Water activity Color
after drying

Soak Soak Soak Drying Soak Soak Soak Drying

Treatment with Raw Fresh
(20%) (30%) (50%) (20%) (30%) (50%)
20%,30% and 50%
syrup solution
L =58.02 L = 39.20 L = 50.94 L = 39.77 L = 49.16
0.9995 0.9801 0.92 0.9158 0.81 a = -1.44 a = -3.22 a = -3.57 a = -1.63 a = -2.55
b = 15.02 b = 15.02 b = 16.74 b = 17.89 b = 18.67
DISCUSSION

Water activity is the most important parameter of water in terms of food safety.
Water activity or aw is the partial vapor pressure of water in a substance divided by
the standard state partial vapor pressure of water. Water is one of the most important
factors controlling the rate of deterioration of food, by either microbial or non-
microbial effects. Water activity (aw) is used for the preservation of food,
stabilization of the food supply, and developing different types of shelf‐stable foods.

Figure shows the osmotic dehydration process

The water activity of raw pineapple is higher than apple. This shows that the
apple has a higher shelf life compared to pineapple. In order to compare the osmotic
dehydration in apple and pineapple, experiment were carried out. Osmotic treatment
decreased water content and increased soluble solids content in apple tissues and
pineapple tissue. The water activity of apple is higher than pineapple after the osmotic
dehydration. This is because the texture of apple is more compact than pineapple
which mean, it takes a longer time to drain out the waters from the apple. The
penetration of syrup solution into the apple will be late because of the strong cell wall
which made up of pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Meanwhile, for pineapple
penetration occurs very fast because the skin of the pineapple is removed so there is
no cell wall for distract the syrup solution to enter the pineapple. From the result
obtained there is no huge difference between 30% and 50% of syrup solution, after
drying therefore 30% syrup solution is most optimum percentage to use in osmotic
dehydration process for apple and pineapple.
 Figure shows guide for colorimeter reading

The colour was tested using colorimeter to determine the colour of apple and
pineapple during osmotic dehydration. In 20% and 50% syrup solution the colour of
apple (skin) and (flesh) was red after osmotic dehydration which the result of (a)
shows positive but the skin of apple have higher value than the flesh which indicate
that the skin is more dark compared to flesh. Meanwhile, the result obtained for (b) is
positive which indicate yellow. The reason why the skin and flesh was red colour is
because enzymatic browning occur during the process. Enzymatic browning is one of
the most important reactions that occur in fruits and vegetables, usually resulting in
negative effects on color, taste, flavor, and nutritional value. The reaction is a
consequence of phenolic compounds' oxidation by polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which
triggers the generation of dark pigments. This is particularly relevant for apples,
which are rich in polyphenols and highly susceptible to enzymatic browning. In 30%
syrup solution the colour of apple (skin) and (flesh) was green after osmotic
dehydration which the result of (a) shows negative but the skin of apple have higher
value than the flesh which indicate that the skin is more dark compared to flesh. The
reason why the skin and flesh was green even after osmotic dehydration because the
way apple soaked in syrup solution was not fully immersed. When the apple not fully
soaked the colour remain the same. In 20% syrup solution the colour of pineapple
flesh shows negative result for (a) which means green, this indicate that the skin was
not peeled properly. The result obtained for (b) is positive means yellow in colour. In
30% and 50% syrup solution the colour of pineapple flesh shows a positive result for
(a) which means red meanwhile for (b) shows positive result too which means yellow.
There is no colour detected for the skin because the skin is removed.
 For the continuous osmotic dehydration process of apple, the water activity of
apple is lower compared to pineapple. When a fresh apple was soaked in 20% of
syrup solution, the water activity of apple increase. This is because the fresh apple
was coated with skin, where there is a cell wall in apple skin which can cause the
water cannot drain out from the apple. Moreover, there is no huge difference in water
activity of apple when apple was soaked in 30% and 50% syrup solution. This can
indicate that the penetration of syrup solution into the apple is maximum. The water
activity of apple decrease when apple was dried in oven. This shows that maximum
removing of water happened during the drying process. When apple was fresh, soaked
in 20% and 30% the colour of apple shows a negative result in (a) which indicate
green colour in skin of apple and the flesh meanwhile for the (b) it shows positive
result which mean yellow. For the apple soaked in 50%, the flesh of apple shows
negative for (a) which mean green and positive for (b) which mean yellow. This is
because syrup solution prevent enzymatic browning in apple which can cause the skin
ad flesh of the apple to remain in green. When the soaked apple undergo osmotic
dehydration in 50%, it started to exposed to air which cause the skin of apple to red
where the result for (a) is positive and (b) is positive which mean yellow. Once the
apple was dried the skin and flesh of apple showed positive for (a) and (b) which
mean red and yellow respectively. This can indicate that the apple undergo enzymatic
browning.

For the continuous osmotic dehydration process of pineapple, the water

activity of pineapple is higher than apple. When the pineapple soaked in 20%, 30%
and 50% there is a constant decrease in water activity. This shows that the osmotic
dehydration occur smoothly through out the process. For the colour of pineapple, it
shows negative for (a) which mean green and positive for (b) which mean yellow.
This indicate that the syrup solution prevent the browning process and main the
colour of pineapple tissue.
CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, from the result obtained there is no huge difference between 30%
and 50% of syrup solution, after drying therefore 30% syrup solution is most optimum
percentage to use in osmotic dehydration process for apple and pineapple. Moreover,
single osmotic dehydration is better because it shows a better result compared to
continuous osmotic dehydration. In summary, osmotic dehydration is one the best
way to reduce water activity which can increase the shelf life and preserve the fruit as
well.
QUESTIONS

1. Why dried fruits are more expensive than fresh fruits ?

Dried fruits through drying method is an effective method at preserving fruit and still
maintaining a large amount of the nutrients. Fresh fruit quickly spoils, which reduces
the nutrient profile. Other than that, producing dried fruits requires more process than
the fresh one.

2. Briefly describe how raisins are made.

Sweet grapes that are allowed to dry and shrivel up are called raisins. Raisins are either
brown or golden. Brown raisins are sun-dried, typically by laying them out in the
vineyards for two to four weeks, after which the raisins are graded, cleaned, and packed.
During this time, the moisture content of the grape is reduced from 75% to under 15%
and the color of the fruit changes to a brownish purple.

Golden raisins are typically oven-dried and often treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve
their color. Most often, brown raisins are used in baked goods, while golden raisins are
preferred for savory dishes.

3. Would you add colouring materials into the syrup ?

Adding colouring materials into the syrup also can become a good choice for us as
the reason to add flavor and color to the sugar syrup when syrup has slightly
been cooled down to 100 C is to provide a condition for flavoring and coloring
agent that they can evenly distribute in hard candy. The diffusion rate of flavoring
and coloring agent is different in different temperature, so the temperature where
both agents area dded into it must be control well for best product is produced.

4. Explain how freeze dried fruits can be different from your products ?

Freeze drying involves a sublimation process in which the ice crystals evaporate into
air, and are captured in system under vacuum conditions. Whereas, the conventional
ways of drying is typically applying heat to the material to facilitate the evaporation
of liquid water from the products. Other than that, freeze-dried foods retain a high
percentage of their original nutrients for the most part. This is because the freeze-
drying process only removes the water content in food under a low temperature.
Conventional drying can strip foods of more of their nutritional content due to the use
of heat in the processes. Next, freeze drying removes nearly all of the moisture or
water content from the food, it yields a much lighter, crispier texture than food that is
dried by other means. Conventional dried fruit, for example, tends to be chewy and
hard on the outside because it still retains much of its water content compared to
freeze dried fruit
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Craig Elding. (2014). Dried Fruit vs Fresh Fruit. Retrieved from: Dried Fruit vs Fresh
Fruit (thehealthcloud.co.uk)

Densley, Barbara. Food Preservation Pack: Fun With Fruit Preservation, ABC's of
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Publishing Co., 1994

Crispy Green. (2016). What’s the difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated
foods. Retrieved from: What’s the Difference Between Freeze Dried and
Dehydrated Foods? (smartlifebites.com)
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