Optimization of Osmotic Dehydration of Tomatoes in Solutions of Non-Conventional Sweeteners by Response Surface Methodology and Desirability Approach

Abstract

The osmotic dehydration (OD) of tomatoes in solutions of alternative sweeteners was investigated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), while selected desirability functions were implemented in order to define the optimum process parameters (temperature/duration of osmotic treatment, osmotic solution composition and concentration). Mass exchange, color and texture were measured during the process. Changes in color occurred rapidly at the beginning of the process, while firmness was significantly increased, indicating that OD processing led to tomato texture improvement. Color and firmness changes were adequately modeled using a polynomial model. RSM coupled with desirability functions was applied to optimize OD procedure in terms of color retention and maximum solid gain, a requirement for candied products. A maximum desirability was obtained by incorporating oligofructose into the osmotic solution, at relatively short treatment times. Results were validated and sensory analysis was conducted at the optimized conditions to assess samples’ organoleptic acceptance.

Advanced osmotic dehydration techniques combined with emerging drying methods for sustainable food production: Impact on bioactive components, texture, color, and sensory properties of food

“…The dehydration quantity requirement before freezing depends on product nature, the dehydration pretreatment, and the method of freezing. Compared to conventionally frozen products, it is affirmed that dehydrofrozen products possess a better quality (Schudel, Prawiranto, & Defraeye, 2021), and it is appropriate for sensitive fresh commodities like cucumber (Giannakourou, Dermesonlouoglou, & Taoukis, 2020; Giannakourou, Lazou, & Dermesonlouoglou, 2020).…”

“…When it comes to plant‐based foods, during OD hardness and firmness which are very important textural characteristics for dried foods generally decrease at the beginning of the process (Tylewicz et al, 2017). The change in firmness during OD is result of the alterations in plant tissue based on the dissolution of pectin, turgor loss and shrinkage (Giannakourou, Dermesonlouoglou, & Taoukis, 2020; Giannakourou, Lazou, & Dermesonlouoglou, 2020; Moreno et al, 2013; Panarese et al, 2011; Tylewicz et al, 2017). As the OD process progresses an increase in firmness is achieved due to some water loss and solid matter increase (Table 2).…”

“…There are several novel drying techniques applied to assist OD focusing on decreasing drying time by facilitating the endosmosis for plant‐based foods like; ultrasound, pulsed vacuum, freeze‐drying and ohmic heating. Among these novel techniques' ultrasound is a widely applied one to assist OD of fruits and vegetables which provides an advantage in terms of drying time by modifying cell membrane permeability and creating internal microchannels in the plant tissue (Giannakourou, Dermesonlouoglou, & Taoukis, 2020; Giannakourou, Lazou, & Dermesonlouoglou, 2020). The sponge effect of ultrasound may increase the efficiency of osmotic pressure by series of compression and expansions within the material that resulted in an increase in hardness and chewiness as compared to osmotically dehydrated material (Fei et al, 2018).…”

Optimization of pectinase‐assisted extraction condition of mulberry (Morus alba L.) fruit using response surface methodology and its effect on anthocyanin synthesis pathway‐related metabolites

“…When a response variable achieves its maximal target value, the composite desirability ( D ) is equal to 1. In previous studies, D > 0.5 was considered to be "quite acceptable" and D > 0.7 to be "good" (Asadzadeh & Khoshbayan, 2018; Giannakourou et al., 2020). In the present study, a "good" D ‐value of 0.78 was obtained in the optimization plot (Figure 1).…”

Optimization of Osmotic Dehydration of White Mushrooms by Response Surface Methodology for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Frozen End-Products

“…OD is widely applied in the preservation of plant-origin materials due to the reduced water activity obtained [ 28 ]. There are numerous studies on its application in apples [ 29 ], pineapples [ 16 ], mango [ 30 ], bananas [ 31 ], strawberries [ 17 ], berries [ 32 ], kiwis [ 33 ], carrots [ 34 ], potatoes [ 35 ], tomatoes [ 36 ], pumpkins [ 37 ], etc. In recent years, this method has also been applied on mushrooms such as button mushrooms [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ], oyster mushrooms [ 44 , 45 ], and shiitake [ 46 ].…”