QUALITY AND SENSORIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED PLUM (CV. SANTA ROSA) WITH SYRUPS OF SUGAR AND HONEY

Abstract

Osmotic dehydration is becoming more popular as a complementary treatment in the processing of dehydrated foods, since it presents some advantages such as minimising heat damage to the colour and flavour, inhibiting enzymatic browning and reduce energy costs.The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of sugar and honey syrups as osmotic agents in the dehydration of plum.Plum fruits were dipped in different concentration (40, 50, 60 and 700Brix) of sugar and honeyfor the preparation of osmotically dehydrated plum followed by packing in LDPE bags. The processed product was stored at ambient conditions and subjected to chemical and sensory evaluationat an interval of one month for a period of three months. With the advancement of storage period, a decreasing trend was observed in moisture, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin.The osmotically dehydrated plum prepared from the treatment T9 (700Brix honey syrup) adjudged as the superior on the basis of colour, texture and taste, respectively. The study concluded better retention of osmotically dried plum prepared with 700Brix honey while as control resulted in greater loss of nutrients.