Drying 2004 Proceedings of the 14th International Drying Symposium (IDS 2004) So Paulo, Brazil, 22-25 August 2004,

, vol. C, pp. 1992-1997

OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION OF CARROT (Daucus carota L.) USING SODIUM CHLORIDE SOLUTION

Jos L. Barbosa Junior, Denise G. Alves, noar A. El-Aouar, der A. F. Araujo and Fernanda E. X. Murr 1. Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Food Engineering, State University of Campinas, P.O. Box 6121, 13083-862 Campinas, SP, Brazil, E-mail: lucena@fea.unicamp.br 2. Laboratory of Energy Production Systems through Renewable Sources, Federal University Foundation of Tocantins, Av. NS 15, ALCNO 14, Bl. II, 77020-210 Palmas, TO, Brazil
Keywords: osmotic dehydration, carrot, experimental design ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to study the effects of temperature (11.9 to 33.1C) and NaCl concentration (3 to 17 % w/w) on solid gain and water loss ratio (SG/WL) during osmotic dehydration process of carrot. The smallest values of the response SG/WL were obtained in the lower levels of temperature (12C) and NaCl concentration (3% w/w), while the highest values were found in the higher levels of the variables (34C and 17% w/w), in which solid gain is about 33% of water loss. It was also observed that salt concentration showed the largest effect in this response. INTRODUCTION The osmotic dehydration of fruits, meats and vegetables has been the aim of steady research attention during recent years as a useful method to improve the economics of dehydration processes (Lenart, Lewicki, 1988; (Jayaraman, Das Gupta, 1992; Park, et al. 2003), the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of the products which undergo further drying by customary ways (Raoult-Wack, 1994) or to produce intermediate moisture foods (Alzamora et al., 1993). The process consists in product immersion in a hypertonic aqueous solution leading to a loss of water through cell membranes of the product which flowing along inter-cellular space diffuses into the solution, while osmotic solute is transferred from the medium into the product. A third solute outflow occurs simultaneously as product sugars, acids, minerals and vitamins (Ponting, 1973), although recognised as affecting the organoleptic

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and nutritional characteristics of the product, is considered quantitatively negligible (Raoult-Wack, 1994). The rate of water loss (WL) and solids gain (SG) depends on several factors such as solution concentration, its temperature, contact time, level of agitation, sample size and geometry and solution/food ratio (Lerici et al., 1985). Solute choice and concentration depend on several factors, namely the effect on organoleptic quality properties, solute solubility, cell membrane permeability, its stabilising effect and cost (Qi, et al. 1998). The two most common solute types used for osmotic treatments are sugars (mainly with fruits) and salts (with vegetables, fish, and meat), with relevance for sucrose and sodium chloride, which show advantages already described by several authors (Ponting, 1973; Lenart, Flink, 1984). Previous works have also pointed out the effectiveness in combining both solutes to obtain a maximum water loss with low solids gain by the product without significantly affecting product taste. Qi et al. (1998) found optimum operating conditions for carrot dehydration with 44% sucrose/7% sodium chloride solutions (w/w wb), Pan et al. (2003) found that the addition of a small amount of sodium chloride to different sugar solutions in several vegetables and fruits (apple, carrot, ginger and pumpkin) dehydration led to a higher dehydration rate without increasing solids gain considerably. The aim of this work was to study the effect of variables temperature and salt concentration on solid gain and water loss ratio (SG/WL) during osmotic dehydration process of carrot using response surface methodology (RSM). . MATERIAL AND METHODS Fresh carrots were obtained from a local market, sorted visually for size, maturity level and physical damage. The product was stored under refrigeration until used. After peeling, carrots were cut into disks (3 cm of average diameter and 0.5 cm thickness) and only the middle parts were used. The osmotic solution was prepared by dissolving the required quantity of sodium chloride (w/w wb) in distilled water, under the conditions given by the central composite experimental design (Table 1). Disks of carrot were submerged in the osmotic medium and placed inside a temperature-agitation controlled shaker (Tecnal, TE421). Gentle agitation of 80 rpm was applied for a good mixing of the medium. The mass ratio of osmotic medium to carrot samples was 10:1 to avoid significant dilution of the medium and subsequent decrease of the driving force during osmotic process. After 20 minutes (predetermined in previous study), samples were removed from the solution, drained and the excess of solution at the surface was removed with absorbent paper for subsequent mass determination. Water loss (WL) represented by (g water/100g initial wet carrot) and solids gain (SG) represented by (g solids/100g initial wet carrot) were determined by gravimetric method, according to the following relations (Hawkes, Flink, 1978): ww0 (wt ws ) WL = 100 (1) w0 ws ws 0 (2) SG = 100 w0 where ww0, ws0 and w0 are the initial mass of water, solids and the initial wet mass of the sample, respectively. The total solids mass (ws) is determined in a vacuum oven at 70C for 24 h, and the total wet mass (wt ), is the mass of the carrot disk at the time of sampling, determined upon removal from the solution.

A central composite rotatable design was used for designing the experiments for osmotic dehydration of carrot disks using two factors: salt concentration (2.95 to 17%, w/w wb) and temperature (11.9 to 33.1C). Five levels of each variable were chosen for study, including the centre point and two axial points (Khuri, Cornell, 1996), and eleven triplicate combinations were performed, including three replications of the centre point (Table 1). Data from the central composite experimental design were subjected to the

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following second-order polynomial regression analysis using least square regression methodology to obtain the parameters of the mathematical models.
(3) Y = Y (C , T ) = b0 + b1C + b2T + b11C 2 + b22T 2 + b12 C T where Y represents the response variables, b0 is the intercept, b1 and b2 represent the salt concentration and temperature linear regression coefficients, respectively; b11 and b22 are the quadratic regression coefficients. And b12 represents the interaction effect. For statistical calculations, the variables C and T were coded (Table 1) as xi according the following equation. (X X 0 ) (4) xi = i X where, xi is the dimensionless coded value of the variable Xi (C or T); X0 the value of the Xi at the center point; X is the step of level change at the center point. These coefficients, analysis of variance, test of lack of fit and the generation of three-dimensional graphs were calculated using the Statistica 5.0 package (Statsoft, 1997). The criterion used to evaluate the best fitting model was their average relative error (P), defined as: 100 N V p V0 (5) P= N i =1 V0 where Vp is the calculated values from the model, using Equation (3); V0 the experimental values from Table (1) and N the number of experimental points. According Lomauro et al. (1985), values of P less than or equal to 10% refer to the parameters that are significant.
Table 1: Experimental data for solids gain (SG) and water loss (WL) under different treatment conditions of salt concentration and temperature.

Treatment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

T (C) (x1) 15 (-1) 30 (+1) 15 (-1) 30 (+1) 22.5 (0) 22.5 (0) 22.5 (0) 11.9 (-1.41) 33.1 (+1.41) 22.5 (0) 22.5 (0)

C (%) (x2) 5 (-1) 5 (-1) 15 (+1) 15 (+1) 10 (0) 10 (0) 10 (0) 10 (0) 10 (0) 2.95 (-1.41) 17 (+1.41)

SG (%) 1.27 1.47 4.84 6.26 3.48 3.64 3.50 2.28 2.70 0.86 5.58

WL (%) 10.50 12.90 15.90 18.03 13.81 13.33 13.74 10.48 15.52 8.38 18.34

SG/WL 0.121 0.114 0.304 0.347 0.252 0.273 0.255 0.217 0.174 0.102 0.304

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The water loss is evident (Table1) and is very higher than solid gain, this is according to Lenart (1996). Since the optimum response of each variable (higher WL and lower SG) did not fall exactly in the same point, the solid gain/water loss ratio (SG/WL) was used as an indicator of the extent to which the osmotic process succeeds this goal (Lazarides et al., 1995; Ravindra , Chattopadhyay, 2000). The regression analysis of the experimental data of SG/WL is shown in Table 2. The resulting equation was tested for adequacy and fitness by analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Table 3). The interaction and the temperature linear terms for SG/WL were eliminated (p>0.05) meaning that SG/WL was a function of salt concentration, basically.

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The small influence of temperature in the response (SG/WL) can be attributed to the low values used for this variable (up to 34oC), which was not enough to promote modifications in the cell permeability to the solute uptake and to the water loss. Similar results were observed by Lazarides et al. (1995) at temperatures between 20 and 30oC.
Table 2: Values of the second-order polynomial regression coefficients.

Coefficients b0 b1 b2 b11 b22 b12

SG/WL 0.2600 -0.0032* 0.0879 -0.0267 -0.0229 0.0126*

Table 3: Analysis of variance for solids gain/water loss ratio (SG/WL) in the osmotic dehydration of carrot in sodium chloride solution.

Source Model Residual Lack of fit Pure error Total R2

Sum of squares 0.0670 0.0052 0.0050 0.0003 0.0723 0.9267

Mean square 0.0223 0.0007 0.0010 0.0001

Degrees of freedom Fstatistics 3 29.82 7 5 2 10

The determination coefficient (R2) is 0.93, being a measure of the goodness of fit of the model, indicating that only about 7% of the total variations are not explained by the model. The F value is the ratio of the mean square due to regression and the mean square due to real error. Generally, the calculated F-values should be several times the tabulated value, if the model is a good predictor of the experimental results. The Fstatistic value of 29.82 is greater than tabulated F95%,3,7. Lack of fit can be detected if the values of Fstatistic exceed the tabulated F. The closer value of the coefficient of determination (R2) to 1, the satisfactory average deviation values (P<10%) and the statistical analysis indicated that the proposed model for solids gain/water loss ratio (SG/WL) was adequate, having no lack of fit and very satisfactory values of coefficient of determination (R2).
33,1 27,8

22,5 17,2 11,9 3,0

0,130 0,159 0,189 0,218 0,248 0,278 0,307 above

6,5

10,0

13,5

17,0

C(%)

Figure 1 Contour plot of solids gain/water loss ratio (SG/WL) for 20 min.

Variation of SG/WL ratio as a function of salt concentration and temperature followed a semi-linear pattern (Figure 1). However temperature has showed lower effect in this response. A continuous increase in solids gain/water loss ratio (SG/WL) was observed with increase in salt concentration, while at low salt concentration the ratio showed a decrease in this response, this was observed by several authors (Vijayanand, Chand , Eipeson, 1995; Lazarides, Katsanidis , Nickolaidis, 1995; Azoubel , Murr, 2003).

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It can also be observed from Figure 1 that the SG/WL ratio was almost independent of temperature and that the obtained values, ranging from 0.130 to 0.307, were higher when comparing to the results from the dehydration with other solutes (sucrose, corn syrup, among others) at higher concentrations. This can be related to differences in solute size and chemical potential (aw) between the product and the osmotic solution. As sodium chloride has lower molar mass, it favours the solute uptake due to the higher velocity of penetration of the molecules. The ionised salt promotes an intense interaction with the water molecules, through the hydrogen bonds, decreasing the system free water and the solution water activity and, consequently, allowing a higher water loss from the product. Thus, even with the lower salt concentration in relation to sucrose, water loss values are closer for both osmotic agents. CONCLUSIONS The salt concentration showed the largest effect on solid gain/water loss ratio. The smallest values were obtained in the lower levels of temperature (12C) and NaCl concentration (3% w/w), while the highest values were found in the higher levels of the variables (34C and 17% w/w), in which solid gain is about 33% of water loss. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development). LITERATURE Alzamora, S. M., Tapia, M. S., Argaz, A., Welti, J.(1993), Application of combined methods technology in minimally processed fruits. Food Research International, Vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 125-130. Azoubel, P. M., Murr, F. E. X.(2003), Optimisation of osmotic dehydration of cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale L.) in sugar solutions. Food Science and Technology International, Vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 427433. Hawkes, J., Flink, J.(1978), Osmotic concentration of papaya: influence of process variables on the quality. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Vol. 2, pp. 265-284. Jayaraman, K. S., Das Gupta, D. K. (1992), Dehydration of fruits and vegetables: recent developments in principles and techniques. Drying Technology, Vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1-50. Khuri, A., I., Cornell, J.A. (1996), Response surfaces: designs and analyses, 2nd ed., M. Dekker, New York, USA. Lazarides, H. N., Katsanidis, E., Nickolaidis, A.(1995), Mass transfer during osmotic preconcentration aiming at minimal solid uptake. Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 25, pp. 151-166. Lenart, A., Flink, J. M.(1984), Osmotic concentration of potato. Part I. Criteria for the end point of the osmotic process. Journal of Food Technology, Vol. 19, pp. 45-63. Lenart, A., Lewicki, P. P.(1988), Energy consumption during osmotic and convective drying of plant tissue. Acta Alimentaria Polonica, Vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 65-72.

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Lenart, A.(1996), Osmo-convective drying of fruits and vegetables: technology and application. Drying Technology, Vol. 14, pp. 391-413. Lerici, C. R., Dalla Rosa, M., Bertolucci, L. (1985), Osmotic dehydration of fruits: influence of osmotic agents on drying behavior and product quality. Journal of Food Science, Vol. 50, pp. 1217-1220. Lomauro, C. J., Bakshi, A. S., Labuza, T. P.(1985), Evaluation of food moisture sorption isotherm equations. Part I: fruit, vegetable and meat products. Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft and Technologies, Vol. 18, pp. 112-122. Pan, Y. K., Zhao, L. J., Zhang, Y., Chen, G., Mujumdar, A. S. (2003), Osmotic dehydration pretreatment in drying of fruits and vegetables. Drying Technology, Vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 1101-1114. Park, K. J., Bin, A., Brod, F. P. R. (2003), Drying of pear d'Anjou with and without osmotic dehydration. Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 97-103. Ponting, J. D.(1973), Osmotic dehydration of foods Recent modifications and applications. Process Biochemistry, Vol. 8, pp. 18-20. Qi, H., LeMaguer, M., Sharma, S. K. (1998), Design and selection of processing conditions of a pilot scale contactor for continuous osmotic dehydration of carrots. Journal of Food Process Engineering, Vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 75-88. Raoult-Wack, A. L.(1994), Recent Advances in the osmotic dehydration of foods. Trends in Food Science and Technology, Vol. 5, no. 8 (1994), pp. 255260. Ravindra, M. R., Chattopadhyay, P. K.(2000), Optimisation of osmotic preconcentration and fluidized bed drying dehydrated quick-cooking potato cubes. Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 44, pp. 5-11. Statsoft (1997), Statistica for windows. Tulsa, USA: Statsoft. Vijayanand, P., Chand, N., Eipeson, W. E.(1995), Optimization of osmotic dehydration of cauliflower. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Vol. 19, pp. 229-242.

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