Mass transfer modeling during osmotic dehydration of cambuci (Campomanesia phaea (O. Berg) Landrum) slices and quality assessment

The osmotic dehydration of cambuci slices was studied using binary and ternary solutions containing sorbitol (S) and calcium lactate (CL) at different concentrations. Experiments were conducted at 25 °C. The mass and the physical-chemical properties of fruit slices were measured along the process. The results showed significant reduction in moisture (X), water activity (aw) and titratable acidy (TA). Soluble solids (SS) and pH increase were also observed. Osmotic solutions with higher sorbitol concentrations enabled higher water removal, but no significant difference was observed when CL was added to the osmotic solution. The content of soluble solids (SS) was higher in samples treated with higher sorbitol concentrations. The experimental results of water loss and soluble solids gain were modeled using Peleg's equation, and the equilibrium moisture and content of soluble solids were estimated. The effective diffusion coefficient of water was lower when CL was added to the osmotic solution, indicating modifications in the internal resistance for the mass transfer.