Influence of Processing Additives on the Quality and Stability of Dried Papaya Obtained by Osmotic Dehydration and Conventional Air Drying

The combination of osmotic dehydration and hot air drying (OD/HA) is an industrial alternative to papaya production, but tissue softening and color loss are technological problems. The objective of this work was to study, during OD/HA processing of papaya (Formosa cultivar), the influence of organic acids (citric and lactic), calcium salts (lactate and chloride), and the enzyme pectinmethylesterase (PME) on the texture, color, and sensory characteristics of the product. The stability of the products treated with lactic acid/calcium chloride, PME/calcium chloride, and the standard sample (without additives) was evaluated at 25 and 35 degrees C for up to 100 days, analyzing vitamin C and color degradation. Light microscopy analysis performed at the beginning of stability study showed that the additives better preserved the cell structure. The use of lactic acid/calcium chloride maintained the color of the dried papaya, but the additives did not have an effect on vitamin C degradation. The variations in the chromaticity parameters (b* and a*) were adjusted to zero- and first-order kinetic models, respectively, with Q(10) values ranging between 0.88 and 2.30 and R-2 approximate to 0.90. The combination of lactic acid/calcium chloride resulted in higher sensory acceptance and color stability of dried papaya during storage.