Drying characteristics of osmotically pretreated cranberries - Energy and quality aspects

This study reports on finish drying of osmotically pretreated (dehydrated and sugar-infused) cranberries. The halved fresh berries pretreated in a standard osmotic solution (67.5 Brix at 50degreesC for 5h) were then freeze-dried, vacuum-dried and air-dried in various dryers (cabinet-air-through, fluid bed, pulsed fluid bed, and vibrated fluid bed dryers) in order to identify the best drying technology. Energy consumption and product quality were chosen as the comparison criteria. The best product quality, quantified by the anthocyanins content, rehydration ratio, color and taste, was noted for freeze-dried berries. As all other drying methods gave similar, albeit slightly lower quality products than freeze-drying, the selection of a drying method could be based on the unit heat consumption. The vibrated fluid bed and the pulsed fluid bed should be favored because of the highest energy efficiency. Even though sugar infused into cranberries during osmotic pretreatment reduces drying rates during the second drying period as compared to untreated berries, osmotic dehydration reduces the total energy consumption on top of the preferential sensory characteristics of the final product.