Dried Figs Quality Improvement and Process Energy Savings by Combinatory Application of Osmotic Pretreatment and Conventional Air Drying

This study concerns the implementation of osmotic dehydration (OD) as a pre-treatment of air-drying in fig halves, aiming at drying acceleration, energy savings and product quality improvement. The effect of solid/liquid mass ratio, process temperature (25-45 degrees C) and duration (up to 300 min) on water activity (a(w)) and transport phenomena during OD, was modelled. The effective diffusion coefficients, drying time and energy consumption, were also calculated during air-drying at 50-70 degrees C. At optimum OD conditions (90 min, 45 degrees C), the highest water loss and solid gain ratio were achieved, while the a(w) (equal to an initial value 0.986) was decreased to 0.929. Air-drying time of OD- and control samples was estimated at 12 and 21 h, at 60 degrees C, respectively, decreasing the required energy by up to 31.1%. Quality of dried figs was systematically monitored during storage. OD-assisted air-drying led to a product of improved quality and extended shelf-life.

Automated summary

This study focused on using osmotic dehydration as a pre-treatment for air-drying fig halves to accelerate drying, save energy, and improve product quality. By optimizing conditions, the study achieved improvements in water loss, solid gain ratio, and energy consumption, resulting in a product with enhanced quality and extended shelf-life.