Influence of Osmotic Pre-treatment on Convective Drying Kinetics of Figs

This work evaluated the effects of osmotic dehydration on convective drying kinetics of figs. It used the experimental design methodology to evaluate the influence of sucrose concentration, temperature and time on the amount of total soluble solids (TSS) and moisture content of the figs. After the osmotic dehydration, it evaluated the convective drying kinetics at temperatures from 55 to 75 degrees C. A mathematical model was employed to fit the experimental data. From the experimental data of the osmotic dehydration, it was seen that the moisture content of the figs after the treatment was closely related to the amount of TSS of the figs. Low moisture content and high TSS content were obtained for a narrow range of independent variables comprised between 55-60 degrees C, 55-63 wt% and 260-280 min for temperature, sucrose concentration and exposure time, respectively. In the convective drying kinetics of the figs, there were no verified significant differences in the final time of drying of non-treated and osmotically dehydrated figs. However, the shrinkage was considerably reduced in the osmotically treated figs. The use of osmotic treatment enables the obtainment of figs softer than the simple use of convective drying without changing the final time of drying.