Texture Quality of Candied Fruits as Influenced by Osmotic Dehydration Agents

Abstract

Candied fruits produced with healthier ingredients for obtaining low glycemic index, low energy and/or dietary fiber enriched products were develop by substituting the traditionally used osmotic dehydration sugars sucrose and glucose by fructose, sorbitol, maltitol, fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides. Quality of candied fruits was evaluated chemically, rheologically and sensorially. For all fruits the final composition was dependent on the osmotic dehydration agent used and, in all cases, the final composition show that fruits can be impregnated successfully with the healthier ingredients.Each of the different osmotic dehydration agents significantly influenced the texture and sensorial profile of the candied fruits, but the changes were dependent on the fruits, with the texture and sensorial quality of some products being better and other poorer than the commercial candied fruits. For all fruits tested, the osmotic dehydration agent sorbitol imprinted peculiar characteristics. The chemical composition of the final products show that candied fruits obtained with these alternative osmotic dehydration agents are suitable healthier alternatives of the traditional candied fruits. Still, only a consumer's trial would assess the palatability of the different fruits/osmotic dehydration agents tested. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSOne of the main objectives of food processing is the preservation of perishable foods. Candying of fruits results in a decrease of water activity by osmotic dehydration, prolonging fruits shelf-life. This process changes the textural and sensorial properties but also has an impact on its dietary value, due to sucrose and glucose used in candying, accused for being responsible for various illness. Therefore, the candying industry is looking for substitutes, those so called "healthy ingredients" that can be used for osmotic dehydration and yield products with similar or even better quality properties (structural, textural and organoleptic). Fructose, sorbitol, maltitol, and dietary fiber oligosaccharides, are possible candidates for substitution of sucrose in the candying industry. With this work we aim to increase the knowledge about modifications at the textural and sensorial level occurring on these fruits after the candying process to adequately control candying and improve the quality of candied fruits.

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

“…This increase could be related to the distribution of sugar content in the sample tissue—more specifically, the adherence of sucrose content on the surface of samples, leading at the same time to the increase in firmness. The authors in [ 7 ] studied candied fruits (pineapple, orange-peel, citron) developed by substituting the sucrose and glucose with fructose, sorbitol, maltitol, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). They concluded that each osmotic solute significantly affected the texture of the candied fruits, but these changes were dependent on the fruits.…”

“…It is worth noting that there was no significant difference in total acceptability scores for the different alternative sweeteners applied, leading to a preliminary promising finding that sucrose could be effectively replaced in the traditional tomato candying process. It has been reported that the most important sensory characteristics affecting the consumer acceptance of OD-processed candied fruits are the flavor/taste and texture characteristics depending on the osmotic solute used, as well as the raw material (fruit) [ 7 , 68 ]. From a commercial point of view, it would be necessary to implement a wide consumer’s trial to assess the palatability and acceptance of the different osmodehydrated products.…”

“…Nevertheless, besides being an intense and quality detrimental procedure due to the high temperatures imposed [ 4 , 5 ], the traditional candying process is time-consuming and cannot be easily standardized [ 6 ]. Additionally, the increased sucrose content of the final product is another disadvantage of the conventional candying process, taking into account the current consumer requirements for a healthy and balanced diet [ 7 ]. Therefore, innovative candied fruits could be designed based on alternative, healthier carbohydrates that may substitute sugar without downgrading product quality [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…Additionally, the increased sucrose content of the final product is another disadvantage of the conventional candying process, taking into account the current consumer requirements for a healthy and balanced diet [ 7 ]. Therefore, innovative candied fruits could be designed based on alternative, healthier carbohydrates that may substitute sugar without downgrading product quality [ 7 , 8 ].…”

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA EN PATRONES DE CÍTRICOS MEDIANTE MICROSATÉLITES AMPLIFICADOS AL AZAR (RAMs)

“…En esta fractura macroscópica, los tejidos de la pitahaya pueden fallar por ruptura de la pared celular y por la pérdida de unión o adherencia entre células generada por alteración de las lamelas que es una capa compuesta de polisacáridos que rodea la pectina de la pared celular y genera la unión entre las células [12]. Este comportamiento es característico de frutas enteras y mínimamente procesadas y se ha observado en la compresión uniaxial de diferentes productos cortados y enteros como calabaza fresca y deshidratada osmóticamente [12] manzana y papa [31], piña [32] y frutas confitadas [33].…”