Osmotic dehydration - The principle of osmosis, which involves the passage of water through a semi-permeable membrane from a low concentration solution to a high concentration solution, is applied in osmotic dehydration.
The process of removing water from food by submerging it in a salt or sugar solution with strong osmotic pressure is known as osmotic dehydration. A difference in osmotic pressure causes water to be drawn out of the food and into the solution.
A certain amount of the "osmotic solute" permeates the food at the same time that water and some of the natural solutes in the meal move to the osmotic solution. By raising the temperature or the osmotic solution's concentration, the rate of water loss can be accelerated.
In essence, osmosis—a method of partially removing water—has been understood and applied for ages. Examples of traditional food processing methods that involve both solute penetration and water removal are salting fish and candying fruit (like pethas).
Aside from this, a limited amount of fruit, vegetable, and meat dehydration is done in industry using this technique.
Fruits can also be infused osmotically as a pretreatment before processing procedures like freezing or convection drying, which lowers the total energy needed for the dehydration process.
Osmotic dehydration is an easy and efficient way to preserve fruits and vegetables among other approaches. Comparing this approach to other drying and preservation techniques, the food keeps its natural colour, flavour, taste, and nutritional value. Given the advantages of this procedure, it is likely that in the near future, consumers will favour products that have undergone osmotic dehydration for preservation.
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