Vol. 10, Issue 7 (2021)

Author(s):
DV Sravani and Deepika Saxena

Abstract:
Fruits and vegetables are an essential source of nutrients in the human diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain 75-95 percent water, and osmotic dehydration is one way to reduce the water content initially. Osmotic drying is a partial dehydration process that, in comparison to traditional drying, improves the product's consistency. The osmotic treatment entails soaking a food in a hypertonic sugar and/or salt solution for a set amount of time at a given temperature. When compared to other drying processes, the process has two major advantages. As compared to products from traditional drying methods, the consistency of osmotically dehydrated products is higher and shrinkage is significantly lower. Second, in comparison to other drying methods, the technique helps to save total resources. Because of the high latent heat of vaporization, moisture removal through phase change (evaporation of water) is an energy-intensive process. There is no phase change during osmotic dehydration, so the process can be completed with minimal energy input, which is the primary explanation for the energy savings. To reduce the amount of energy & maximize the profit used in food drying, new technologies are constantly being tested. Several countries are conducting research into osmotic dehydration's applications in food processing technology and component transition mechanisms. Traditional food dewatering methods include osmotic dehydration. It produces appealing, ready-to-eat items or can be used as a pretreatment for subsequent processes like drying or freezing. It's a process that uses less resources.