Retracted: Optimization of Mass Transfer Parameters during Osmotic Dehydration ofMomordica CharantiaSlices

Abstract

The objective of this present study is to evaluate the effect of process parameters, such as salt concentration (1-5%), sample to solution (SS) ratio (1:5-1:15 g/mL), osmotic solution temperature (30-50C) and osmotic treatment time (30-180 min), on the mass transfer parameters (weight reduction, solid gain and water loss) during osmotic dehydration of Momordica charantia slices. A three-level, four-factor Box-Behnken response surface design was used for the study and the process was optimized using regressional-desirability method. The results exhibited that process variables hold considerable effect on the osmotic dehydration process. Based on the method of desirability, the most favorable optimal conditions were found to be osmotic solution concentration of 3.5%, SS ratio of 1:13 g/ mL, osmotic solution temperature of 46C and osmotic dehydration time of 138 min. The microstructural changes during osmotic dehydration were also investigated using scanning electron microscopy. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe process of osmotic dehydration can be used for the preparation of shelf-stable products for the purpose of obtaining a more physicochemically and microbiologically stable final product. Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) is one of the popular vegetables because of its high nutrition and medicinal value. However, the shelf life of bitter gourd is very short, and hence, it cannot be stored for a long time. Osmotic drying of bitter gourd helps preserve its nutrition for a long time. The quality of pre-osmosed bitter gourd is superior than the one obtained from conventional dehydration. The osmotically dehydrated bitter gourd can be used for cooking as vegetables after rehydration. This study puts forward some practical references for further research efforts and also for commercial applications of osmotic dehydration.

A robust ex vivo method to evaluate the diffusion properties of agents in biological tissues

“…Such simple and robust method is based only on spectral collimated transmittance ( T c ) and thickness measurements and can be applied in other fields of biomedical engineering, such as food industry , cosmetics , organ cryopreservation or pharmacology trials .…”

“…In food industry, the use of salts and sugars is known to control fruit dehydration . The dehydration of Momordica charantia fruit was studied through mass transfer evaluation during osmotic stimulation by aqueous solutions containing different salt concentrations and variable temperature . Optimal dehydration has been found for a solution containing 3.5% of salt, at a temperature of 46°C and a dehydration time of 138 minutes.…”

Software development for estimation of optical clearing agent’s diffusion coefficients in biological tissues

“…In particular the knowledge of the diffusion properties of creams and ointments in skin is very significant for cosmetics and dermatology [25]. On the other hand, the diffusion properties of low temperature preservatives are of great interest for organ preservation industry and also for food preservation in long time periods [3,[26][27][28]. In the particular case of tissue optical clearing, there are many tissues and many OCAs that need to be studied.…”