Changes in chemical properties of carrot during osmotic dehydration in sugar beet molasses

Abstract

Osmotic dehydration is an alternative method for reducing postharvest quality losses of vegetables, and a common process for producing dried vegetables which can be directly consumed or used as an ingredient in bread, cakes, pastries and many products of other food industries. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of using sugar beet molasses as an osmotic agent in the dehydration of carrot and to evaluate chemical characteristics of osmotically dehydrated products as compared to the in natura vegetables. Sugar beet molasses is an excellent medium for osmotic dehydration, primarily due to the high dry matter (80%) and specific nutrient composition. The paper describes the effects of different concentrations of sugar beet molasses (80, 60 and 40%) and immersion times (1, 3 and 5h) on osmotic dehydration/impregnation of carrot cubes. Osmotic dehydration process was conducted at constant temperature of 55°C and under atmospheric pressure. During the process the solution to carrot ratio was 8:1. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) was used in order to find significant effects of solution concentration and immersion time on water loss, solid gain, dry matter, carbohydrates and minerals content. It was found that, both process variables had statistically significant effects (p< 0.05) on all examined responses, with the exception of sodium content (p<0.10). Immersion time was found to be more significant factor affecting water loss, dry matter content, carbohydrates and minerals content, while the effect of concentration was more evident on solid gain and magnesium content (significant at p<0.05).