International Journal of Engineering and Technology

The preservation of food by dehydration is the oldest and most common method used by humans and the food processing industry. This research aimed to study the osmotic dehydration and hot-air drying of “perolera” pineapple (Ananas comosus) in four sweetening agents. Osmotic solutions (sucrose, glucose, fructose and honey) and their mixtures at a ratio 50/50 (sucrose-fructose, honey-glucose, fructose-glucose and sucrose-honey) in water at concentrations of 40 °Brix and 50 °Brix were used. A fruit/syrup ratio 1/5, without agitation was used. Water loss (WL) and weight loss (WR) and solids gain (SG) were studied after treatments with all the osmotic solutions.Glucose and honey caused the most significant WL and WR, being the most effective ones at both concentrations to dry.In the same way, the mixture glucose-fructose was the most effective for WL and WR. Results for SG were entirelydifferent.The optimum concentration was 50 °Brix.A product with 61.16 % humidity on a wet basis was obtained. After hot-air drying, a moisture content of 36.43% was achieved.