Osmotic Dehydration Process for Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

Osmotic dehydration has received greater attention in recent years as an effective method for preservation of fruits and vegetables. Being a simple process, it facilitates processing of fruits and vegetables such as banana, sapota, fig, guava, pineapple, apple mango, grapes, carrots, pumpkins, etc. with retention of initial fruit characteristics viz., colour, aroma, texture and nutritional composition. It is less energy intensive than air or vacuum drying process because it can be conducted at low or ambient temperature. It has potential advantages for the processing industry to maintain the food quality and to preserve the wholesomeness of the food. It involves dehydration of fruit slices in two stages, removal of water using as an osmotic agent and subsequent dehydration in a dryer where moisture content is further reduced to make the product shelf stable.