Effect of Osmo Dehydration on Quality Attributes of Bilimbi (Averroha bilimbi) Fruits

Abstract

Background: Bilimbi is a profusely bearing tree and majority of fruits produced are wasted due to lack of proper preservation methods. Osmo-dehydration studies on quality attributes of bilimbi (Averroha bilimbi) was conducted with the objective to standardize the process variables for osmodehydrated bilimbi and to assess the retention of bioactive compounds. Methods: Harvested mature bilimbi fruits of uniform size were washed, surface dried, pricked and blanched in hot water for one minute. Blanched fruits were subjected to osmotic treatment, with sucrose solution of 40, 60 and 80°B for 60, 120 and 180 minutes. The osmodehydrated bilimbi fruits were analyzed for mass transfer, biochemical and sensory qualities. Best treatments were stored for four months in the room temperature. Result: Mass transfer characters viz., solid gain, water loss, percentage weight reduction, yield and biochemical parameters such as reducing sugar and total sugar increased with increase in osmotic concentration and immersion time whereas free acids, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity were decreased. The osmotic treatment of 80°B for 180 minutes recorded the highest value for solid gain (5.10%), water loss (16.72%), weight reduction (22.57%), ratio of water loss to solid gain (3.25%) and yield (21.13%) which exhibited superior sensory scores for taste (8.43), flavor (8.27), texture (8.46) and overall acceptability (8.43). The best three treatments selected based on sensory analysis were subjected to storage stability studies under room temperature. Osmodehydrated bilimbi obtained highest sensory score at the end of storage.