Volatile profile of mango (Mangifera indica L.), as affected by osmotic dehydration

The effect of osmotic dehydration on the volatile fraction of mango fruit was studied. Osmotic treatments were carried out at atmospheric pressure (OD) and by applying a vacuum pulse (PVOD). Sucrose at 35, 45, 55 and 65 °Brix was used as osmotic solution until reaching 20 or 30 °Brix in the liquid phase of dehydrated mango. Volatile compounds of fresh and dehydrated samples were obtained by simultaneous distillation–extraction, and analyzed by GC–MS. In general, osmotic dehydration provoked changes in the concentration of analyzed compounds to different extents, depending on process conditions. The use of highly concentrated osmotic solutions, and the high level of sample osmodehydration, induced losses of volatiles with respect to the fresh samples. On the other hand, more heavily diluted solutions and shorter treatment times (lower osmodehydration level) could give rise to the enhancement of volatile production. In these cases, sample mass loss was reduced during treatment since sugar gain was promoted against water loss.     

Changes in respiration rate and physical properties of strawberries due to osmotic dehydration and storage

The effect of osmotic dehydration on the respiration rate (R) and the mechanical and optical properties of strawberry halves were evaluated throughout six days at 10 °C. Two different dehydration levels (15 and 20 °Brix) were considered, by applying (PVOD) or not (OD) a vacuum pulse and with and without calcium addition. Dehydrated samples showed a faster drop in R than non-treated samples, thus indicating a faster development of senescence. PVOD implied a greater reduction of O₂ consumption. Calcium addition slightly reduced R. Osmotic treatments provoked a decrease in the puncture forces, especially in samples with 20 °Brix, as a consequence of the structural collapse caused by treatments. After storage, calcium addition and PVOD treatments had beneficial effects on the maintenance of the sample texture. Colour of treated strawberries was modified, mainly in the parenchyma zone, when changes in the sample porosity were greater due to the treatment (vacuum impregnation).     

Influence of osmotic dehydration and freezing on the volatile profile of kiwi fruit

The effect of osmotic dehydration on the volatile fraction of kiwi fruit was studied, as well as the effect of freezing and frozen storage. Osmotic treatments were carried out in sucrose solutions until the kiwi fruit reached 30°Brix, at atmospheric pressure (OD) and by applying a vacuum pulse (PVOD), by using 45 and 65°Brix sucrose. Volatile compounds of fresh, dehydrated and frozen-stored (at −18 °C for 1 month) samples were obtained by simultaneous distillation-extraction, and analyzed by GC-MS. Osmotic dehydration provoked formation of esters and a decrease in aldehydes and alcohols, depending on the dehydration treatment applied, which is similar to what occurs during kiwi ripening. A severe reduction of all volatile compounds occurred after one month in frozen storage, which smoothes the changes induced by osmotic treatments. Only small differences between dehydrated and non-pretreated frozen/thawed samples could be recognized.     

Study of the Influence of Osmotic Dehydration and Freezing on the Volatile Profile of Strawberries

ABSTRACT: The effect of osmotic process conditions on the volatile fraction of strawberries was studied, as well as the effect of freezing and frozen storage. Osmotic treatments were carried out on strawberries in sucrose solutions up to 20 °Brix, at atmospheric pressure (OD), and by applying a vacuum pulse (PVOD). Volatile compounds of fresh, dehydrated, and frozen-stored (at –18 °C for 1 mo) samples were obtained by simultaneous distillation-extraction. Osmotic treatments caused an increase in ester concentration and, in some cases, in furaneol less marked in PVOD. Freezing implied losses in all components, although in pre-dehydrated samples the concentration of some esters (and furaneol) remained greater than in the fresh samples.     

Osmotic dehydration of Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller)

Aloe vera possess immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antibacteria effects and wound and burn healing properties, but it is a very unstable product due to its high water content. Osmotic dehydration can be used to obtain stable products from aloe. In this work the effect of osmotic dehydration (OD) on Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) leaves was studied. Peeled and unpeeled Aloe vera slices (15 × 50 mm), were immersed in sucrose solutions at 35, 50 and 65 °Brix at 25 and 40 °C. Moisture, effective diffusion coefficients and mass fluxes (water loss, solids gained and weight reduction) were determined. Osmotic dehydration experiments were conducted at atmospheric pressure. The best conditions for the OD of Aloe slices with the highest effect on diffusivity were obtained using a temperature of 40 °C for peeled samples. The analysis of the effect of temperature on mass transfer kinetics showed that unpeeled samples were more effected than peeled samples.     

Volatile profile of dehydrated cherry tomato: Influences of osmotic pre-treatment and microwave power

Vegetable flavour is a quality characteristic for consumer acceptability. Sun and air are traditionally used for drying tomatoes; however, the optimal combination of techniques such as osmotic dehydration or microwave-assisted air-drying could lead to high quality self-stable products. The aim of this paper was to study the influence of different process variables on the volatile profile of dehydrated cherry tomato halves. The analysed variables were: air-drying temperature (40 and 55 °C), microwave power (0 and 1 W/g) and previous osmotic dehydration with a 55 Brix binary sucrose solution at 30 °C for 120 min (OD1) or ternary solution of 27.5% sucrose + 10% NaCl (w/w) at 40 °C for 60 min (OD2). Twenty major volatile compounds were identified in fresh tomatoes. Among them, 2-isobutylthiazole and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one stand out as impact volatile compounds. Dehydration modified the volatile profile, mainly due to the changes induced in some typical fresh-like tomato compounds, but also due to the generation of five new compounds: 1-butanol, 2-methyl-2-butenal, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, furfural, acetonitrile, related to Maillard reactions, and the catabolism of carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Principal component analysis showed the possibility of obtaining dried cherry tomatoes with different volatile profiles, depending on drying conditions.     

Headspace volatile compounds during osmotic dehydration of strawberries (cv Camarosa): Influence of osmotic solution composition and processing time

The influence of the type of sugar in the osmotic solution and of the time of processing on the volatile compounds of strawberries was studied, in order to optimize the technique as a pre-treatment to further processing. Strawberries of cultivar ‘Camarosa’, cut into 1 cm thick slices, were subjected to osmotic dehydration at 30 °C for 1, 2, 4 and 6 h using either 60% (w/w) sucrose or 60% (w/w) sorbitol solutions. Volatile compounds of fresh and processed strawberry slices were analyzed by static headspace—gas chromatography. Osmotic treatments provoked a loss in volatile compounds due to the migration, mainly of esters, into the osmotic media. The variations in the volatile pattern depended on both time of treatment and type of osmotic solution. The greater changes occurred after 2 h in sucrose; with a promotion of fermentative volatiles (acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate), and a decrease in the other volatiles. Using sorbitol as osmotic agent, the major variations in the volatile pattern occurred after 4 h of osmosis, and the fermentative process was less important than in sucrose, as sorbitol could be less effective in forming a peripheral layer at the fruit surface and/in reducing tissue porosity.     

Changes in optical and mechanical properties during osmodehydrofreezing of kiwi fruit

The influence of osmotic dehydration and freezing–thawing on optical (colour and translucency) and mechanical properties of kiwi slices were analysed. Osmotic treatments were carried out in sucrose solutions up till the soluble solids in kiwi fruit reached 30 °Brix, both at atmospheric pressure (OD) and by applying a vacuum pulse (PVOD). Analyses were carried out on fresh and dehydrated samples before and after frozen storage (at −18 °C for 1 and 30 days). Reflexion spectra (400–700 nm) were measured to obtain the Kubelka–Munk coefficients and CIE-L*a*b* colour co-ordinates. Mechanical properties were analysed through the compression test. A transparency gain was observed in PVOD treated samples and in frozen–thawed samples, which implied a reduction in product clarity and chrome. Colour hue did not change notably, due to either osmotic treatments or freezing. Samples treated with 45 °Brix osmotic solution at atmospheric pressure were the best preserved in mechanical properties after freezing–thawing.     

Influence of Blanching-osmotic Dehydration Treatments on Volatile Fraction of Strawberries

ABSTRACT: The effects of steam (S) and microwave (MW) blanching and osmotic treatments, applied either singularly or combined, on the volatile fraction of strawberry have been evaluated. Osmotic dehydration was carried out at atmospheric conditions (OD) and by applying a vacuum pulse at the beginning of the process (PVOD). Volatiles were obtained by a simultaneous distillation-extraction procedure and identified/quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Esters and 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone were the major compounds. Differences in volatile concentration promoted by blanching and/or osmotic processes were evaluated. Osmotic treatments promote formation of esters and furanones, differently for either OD or PVOD treatments, but this effect was greatly inhibited when osmosis was preceded by blanching. The kind of blanching (MW or S) also affected the sample final volatile profile.     

Application of high pressure argon treatment to maintain quality of fresh-cut pineapples during cold storage

High pressure (HP) argon (Ar) treatment was applied to preserve fresh-cut pineapples at 4 °C. The effects of treatment temperature (2–10 °C), time (30–120 min) and pressure (0.5–4.5 MPa) on the efficiency of pressurized Ar treatment was studied to determine the optimum conditions. Temperature in the range of 2–6 °C did not significantly affect the efficacy of the pressurized Ar treatment. A combination of pressure–time of pressurized Ar treatment at 1.6–2.2 MPa for 43–65 min was found to be the optimum processing conditions for the preservation of pineapple slices. Samples treated at optimum condition (1.8 MPa, 60 min) were stored at 4 °C for 20 days to evaluate the effect of HP Ar treatment on nutritional components, microbial growth, sensory quality, membrane permeability and microstructure. A shelf life extension of 6 days was achieved by applying HP Ar treatment for fresh-cut pineapples during cold storage in air or in modified atmospheric packaging.     

Effects of high-pressure processing on the volatile compounds of sliced cooked pork shoulder during refrigerated storage

The effect of high-pressure processing (pressure levels of 400, 500 and 600 MPa, and exposure times of 5 and 10 min) on the volatile profile of vacuum-packaged sliced cooked pork shoulder held for 28 days at 4 °C was assessed. The volatile fraction of pressurized samples scarcely changed immediately after treatment and remained stable for 14 days, regardless the pressure and time of exposure. After 21 days of storage, significant differences were observed in the profile of volatile compounds in pressurized samples as compared with control samples, these differences being treatment dependent. At the end of the storage period, control and 400 MPa samples showed higher levels of acetic and fatty acids, ethanol and ethyl esters, whereas 500 and 600 MPa samples contained higher levels of ethanal, branched-chain aldehydes, diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-butanediol among other compounds. These results suggest that the high-pressure treatment had a discriminant effect on the microbiota of cooked pork shoulder, which led to the accumulation of different volatile compounds during the refrigerated storage of control and pressurized samples.     

Changes on flavor compounds throughout cold storage of watermelon juice processed by high-intensity pulsed electric fields or heat

The application of HIPEF processing (35 kV/cm for 1727 μs using bipolar pulses of 4-μs at 188 Hz) on watermelon juice was evaluated as an alternative to conventional heat treatments (90 °C for 30 s or 90 s) in order to achieve better preservation of watermelon aroma compounds for 56 days of storage at 4 °C. HIPEF processing not only induced a rise (roughly 20%) in the concentrations of hexanal, (E)-2-nonenal, nonanal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and geranylacetone but also achieved less reductions on the retention of volatiles than the thermal treatment at 90 °C for 60 s. In contrast, the content of (Z)-6-nonenal, 1-nonanol and (Z)-3-nonen-1-ol in the untreated and processed juices remained unchanged after processing. Despite the decrease in overall flavor compounds observed during storage irrespective of the treatment applied, HIPEF-treated juices showed better flavor retention than heat-treated samples for at least 21 days of storage. Moreover, changes in aldehydes and ketones during storage of treated watermelon juices were well fitted by a model based on the Weibull distribution function. Therefore, the application of HIPEF may be appropriate to preserve the initial volatile profile of watermelon juices during storage.     

Effects of temperature,solid content and pH on the stability of black carrot anthocyanins

Anthocyanin stability of black carrots was studied at various solid contents (11, 30, 45 and 64° Brix) and pHs (4.3 and 6.0) during both heating, at 70–90 °C, and storage at 4–37 °C. Monomeric anthocyanin degradation fitted a first-order reaction model. Degradation of monomeric anthocyanins increased with increasing solid content during heating, while it decreased during storage. For example, at pH 4.3, half-life periods for anthocyanins at 30, 45 and 64° Brix were, respectively, 8.4, 6.9 and 5.2 h during heating at 80 °C and 18.7, 30.8 and 35.9 weeks during storage at 20 °C. At 30–64° Brix, increasing pH from 4.3 to 6.0 enhanced the degradation of anthocyanins during heating. The effect of pH on thermal stability of anthocyanins was also studied at six different pHs (2.5–7.0) in citrate-phosphate buffer solutions and significant decrease in anthocyanin stability was observed at pHs above 5.0. Higher activation energies (E_a) were obtained during heating than during storage with increasing solid contents. At 30–64° Brix, E_a values ranged from 68.8 to 95.1 kJ mol⁻¹ during heating and from 62.1 to 86.2 kJ mol⁻¹ during storage. Q₁₀ values at 20–37 °C were as high as 3.1 at 45° Brix and 3.6 at 64° Brix.     

Osmotic Dehydration and Vacuum Impregnation on Physicochemical Properties of Chilean Papaya (Carica candamarcensis)

ABSTRACT: The effect of osmotic dehydration (OD) at atmospheric pressure and vacuum impregnation (VI) treatments on some physiochemical parameters of papaya (aw, pH, color, firmness, and microstructure) was analyzed. Osmotic treatments were carried out on papaya with 55°Brix and 65°Brix sucrose solutions at 30 °C. VI with 65°Brix osmotic solution was the most effective in reducing aw due to the highest sucrose gain during osmotic treatment. Color differences were associated to loss of clarity in line with transparency gain. Scanning electron microscopy observations show that osmotic dehydration caused shape changes and size reduction of papaya cells; also differences in microstructural features were observed between OD-treated and VI-treated samples. Moreover, the largest firmness observed in VI samples compared with OD treatments was associated with the thickness of the middle lamella between cells, which was greater in VI than OD treatments. Improvement in texture and palatability of papaya was obtained with VI rather than OD treatment compared with fresh papaya.     

Drying kinetics of nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) using three different methods and their effect on their mechanical properties

Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) is an endemic plant of the arid and semiarid lands of America. Preservation problems are associated with nopal utilization and processing, so a practical alternative is dehydration. This work deals with the drying of nopal correlated with the textural properties of the dried product. Convective drying studies were performed and the most representative experimental results at two air flow rates (3 and 5 m/s) and two air temperatures (45 and 65 °C) are displayed here. Experiments of osmotic drying with glucose at 40 and 60 °Brix, and drying temperatures of 25 and 45 °C were tested. A combination of both drying processes was also performed. Results have shown forced convection drying with a mostly decreasing trend at the constant rate period. In the osmotic drying, moisture loss was associated to glucose concentration. Texture profile analysis of dehydrated nopal suggested that samples undergoing convective drying have more cohesiveness than samples treated solely by osmotic drying. On the other hand, samples treated by osmotic drying became more elastic. Between the two drying methods studied, the convective drying has shown the best results at the experimental conditions assayed.     

Vacuum frying of high-quality fruit and vegetable-based snacks

Sweet potato, green beans, Tommy Atkins mango, and blue potato were fried in a vacuum frying process at a temperature of 120-130 ± 1°C. Before frying, green beans and mango slices were soaked in a 50% maltodextrine 0.15% citric acid solution. The products were also fried in a traditional (atmospheric pressure) fryer at 160-165 ± 1°C for 4 min. A 30-member consumer panel rated the sensory quality of both types of fried snacks using a 1-9 hedonic scale. Compared with traditional frying, oil content of vacuum-fried sweet-potato chips and green beans was 24% and 16% lower, respectively. Blue potato and mango chips had 6% and 5% more oil, respectively, than the traditional-fried samples. Anthocyanin (mg/100 g d.b.) of vacuum-fried blue potato chips was 60% higher. Final total carotenoids (mg/g d.b.) were higher by 18% for green beans, 19% for mango chips, and by 51% for sweet-potato chips. Sensory panelists overwhelmingly preferred (p < 0.05) the vacuum-fried products for color, texture, taste, and overall quality. Most of the products retained or accentuated their original colors when fried under vacuum. The traditional-fried products showed excessive darkening and scorching. These results support the applicability of vacuum frying technology to provide high-quality fruit and vegetable snacks.     

KINETICS OF OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION IN ORANGE AND MANDARIN PEELS

The nutritional and health properties of some citrus peel components such as pectin, flavonoids, carotenoids or limonene make interesting developing processing methods to obtain peel stable products, maintaining its quality attributes, increasing its sweetness and improving its sensory acceptability. In this sense, osmotic dehydration represents a useful alternative by using sugar solutions at mild temperature. Kinetics of osmotic treatments of orange and mandarin peels carried out at atmospheric pressure and by applying a vacuum pulse at the beginning of the process were analysed at 30, 40 and 50C, in 65 °Brix sucrose, 55 °Brix glucose and 60 °Brix rectified grape must. Vacuum pulse greatly affected mass transfer behavior of peels due to the greatly porous structure of albedo. So, PVOD treatments greatly accelerate the changes in the product composition in line with an increase in the peel sample thickness. In osmotic processes at atmospheric pressure, sample impregnation occurs coupled with osmotic process, but much longer treatments are required to achieve a reasonable concentration degree which assures sample stability. Low viscosity osmotic solutions seems recommendable in order to promote both diffusional and hydrodynamic transport, in vacuum pulsed pretreatments at mild temperatures.     

Numerical and experimental analysis of heat and moisture transfer during drying of Ataulfo mango

A theoretical and experimental study for the drying kinetics of Ataulfo mango slices was carried out. In the study different thicknesses, air drying temperature, maturity degree and non-isotropic mass diffusion were considerate. The 2D temperature and moisture distributions inside the slice were predicted by using a theoretical model. The water effective diffusion coefficient, the convective heat and mass transfer coefficients, the drying curves and the center temperature were getting by the experimental model. A parametric study was carried out in the ranging of air drying temperatures from 50 to 70 °C, slices with thickness of 2–5 mm and maturity degree from 13.2 to 22°Brix. It was found from the experimental results that slices of Ataulfo mango present an isotropic behavior with an uncertainty of 2.47%. The drying rate reduces in 4.5% as 1 mm thickness increase, and decreases in 8.0% for each 1°Brix increased.     

Volatile compounds in ground beef subjected to high pressure processing: A comparison of dynamic headspace and solid-phase microextraction

The effect on the volatile profile of cooked beef meat, previously subjected to high pressure (400 MPa, 10 min at 12 °C) followed by a 3-d refrigerated storage, was investigated by comparing two extraction techniques i.e. dynamic headspace and solid-phase microextraction. Dynamic headspace was more efficient in extracting 2,3-butanedione and secondary alcohols. Solid-phase microextraction, being more efficient in extracting substances such as 1-alcanols, ethyl esters and acids, permitted to better categorize the effects caused in the volatile fraction by refrigerated storage and high pressure processing.