Effects of Salt Addition in Sugar Based Osmotic Dehydration on Mass Transfer and Browning Reaction of Carrots

Mass transfer characteristics during osmotic dehydration of carrots were studied as functions of immersion temperature and time, and sugar and salt concentrations. The effect of osmotic dehydration on the degree of browning of air-dried carrots was also evaluated. Increasing the immersion temperature and time, sugar concentration, and salt addition increased water loss, sugar gain, molality and rate of dehydration. The water loss and increases in solids, and molality were rapid in the beginning of the process and then increased slowly during remainder of the process. Increasing 1 or 2% salt concentration in the 40$^{\circ}$Brix sugar solution at 6$0^{\circ}C$ increased water loss and solid gain. Salt addition was not able to significantly affected on water loss and solid gain compare to temperature (40～8$0^{\circ}C$) and sugar concentration (20～60$^{\circ}$Brix) changes due to the low salt concentration. A minimum degree of browning of the air-dried carrots (O.D. = 0.048) could be achieved using binary solutions (40$^{\circ}$Brix sugar solution with 2% salt addition) with 24 min of immersion time compared to control (O.D. = 1.308) or blanching with 24 min of immersion time (O.D. = 0.174).