Assessment of pretreatment methods and osmotic dehydration for cranberries

摘要

In this research, different drying pretreatment methods were tested on cranberry fruit (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Mechanical and chemical pretreatments were examined, as well as osmotic dehydration. Two types of assessed mechanical pretreatments were cutting the bénies in halves and into quarters and chemical pretreatment consisted of testing different temperatures of chemical agent and dipping times for cranberries. Osmotic dehydration involved evaluation of different osmotic agents, their concentrations, and diffèrent times of osmotic dehydration. There were three observed parameters: mass gain, solids gain, and moisture loss. The mechanical pretreatment that showed the best results for observed parameters was cutting the berries into quarters, but chemical pretreatment showed no significant difference. Time and concentration of osmotic agent significantly promoted the moisture removal and sugar uptake.