Impact of Using Alternative Sweetener as Osmotic Agent on Mass Transfer, Colour and Texture Properties During Dip Dehydration of Apple Slice

Abstract

Previous study has explored dip dehydration as a novel variant of osmotic dehydration to reduce solid gain, which is the main problem of osmotic dehydration. However, this dehydration process commonly uses sucrose solution as osmotic agent which might contribute to the increase in glycaemic index and can also be linked to different diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of using alternative sweeteners as an osmotic agent on mass transfer, colour, and texture profiles during dip dehydration of apple slices. Three alternative sweeteners, i.e., erythritol, sorbitol and xylitol with 30% (w/v) concentration were used in this study. Apple slices with 1.5 mm thickness and diameter of 55 mm were dipped multiple time in the same concentrated solution every 40 minutes until 200 minutes before samples were analysed. Findings showed that different type of sweetener affect water loss and solid gain. Xylitol and sorbitol gave highest water loss about 36% and 40%, respectively. Lowest total colour different with fresh apple has been observed in sample treated with xylitol. As for texture, there is no remarkable effect of using alternative sweetener as osmotic agent at all processing times. Overall, the best alternative sweetener for sucrose is xylitol considering the mass transfer and quality of apple slices.