Drying kinetics and physico-chemical characteristics of Osmo- dehydrated Mango, Guava and Aonla under different drying conditions.

ABSTRACT

Mango (Mangiferra indica L), guava (Psiduim guajava L.) slices and aonla (Emblica officinalis L) segments were osmo-dried under four different dying conditions viz., cabinet drier (CD), vacuum oven drier (VOD), low temperature drier (LTD) and solar drier (SD) to evaluate the best drying condition for the fruits. It was found that vacuum oven drying was superior to other mode of drying as it holds maximum nutrients like acidity, ascorbic acid, sugar and water removal and moisture ratio of products. It was found through regression analysis that drying ratio and rehydration ratio was also superior in vacuum drying followed by cabinet drying. In addition, descriptive analysis on sensory score was also found best with vacuum drying while the Non-enzymatic browning (NEB), which is undesirable character on dried product, was more with solar drier.