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Abstract
A true equilibrium process usually takes very long to achieve and is very difficult, therefore, a pseudo-equilibrium process is often employed. Several methods exist for predicting pseudo-equilibrium conditions and their accuracies vary. Dynamic equilibrium and pseudo-equilibrium moisture loss (ML) and solids gain (SG) during osmotic dehydration of apple cylinders at different temperature (40, 50, and 60°C) and concentrations (30, 40, 50, and 60°Brix) were evaluated in this study. Pseudo-equilibrium achieved depended on product and processing conditions. Higher concentrations increased the pseudo-equilibrium ML and decreased SG. Two kinds of pseudo-equilibration appear to exist, one for the liquid, which is reached in about 24 h, depending on sample size, the other for the solid matrix, which takes much longer to achieve. Solute penetration in to the product is a much slower process during osmotic dehydration equilibration.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research was partially supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.