Abstract
Mass transfer characteristics during osmotic dehydration of mushrooms(Agaricus bisporus) in sugar solution were studied as a function of sugar concentration, immersion time and temperature, and the effect of osmotic dehydration on browning inhibition of air-dried mushrooms was also evaluated. Increasing the sugar concentration, immersion time and temperature increased moisture loss, sugar gain, molality and rate parameter. The changes of sugar gain and rate parameter were more significantly affected by concentration than by temperature of sugar solutions, while 1$0^{\circ}C$ increase in temperature or 10 Brix increase in concentration had the same effect on water loss. Water loss, sugar gain, molality were rapid in the first period of osmotic dehydration especially in the case of higher concentration and temperature of sugar solutions. Effects of osmotic dehydration in sugar solution(60 Brix, 8$0^{\circ}C$) with 18 min of immersion time(O.D.=0.099) rior to air dehydration on browning inhibition of dried mushrooms were more significant than blanching in water(8$0^{\circ}C$) with the same immersion time(O.D.=0.330) and the control (O.D.=0.559).