88E-27 |
Effect of osmotic treatment and air drying temperatures on the sensory preference of dried, shredded coconut (Cocos mucifera) |
M. MATA-MONTES DE OCA1, M. K. Flores-Lopez, B. Tovar-Gomez, and H. S. Garcia4. (1) Laboratorio de Investigacion en Alimentos, Instituto Tecnologico de Tepic, Apdo. Postal 634, Tepic, Nay., 63000, Mexico, (2) UNIDA, Instituto Tecnologico de Veracruz Coconut is one of the most important crops in tropical countries. A very popular form of coconut marketing is as dried and shredded pulp. Osmotic dehydration has been reported as a pre-treatment capable of improving the sensory quality of dried foodstuffs. However, little information has been generated on processing temperatures on the sensory characteristics of dried coconut. The objective was to evaluate the effect of temperatures used for osmotic treatment and air drying, on the sensory preference based on color and flavor of shredded coconut. Pulp was obtained manually from fully mature fruits donated by a local grower. A stainless steel manual shredder was used to prepare pulp stripes 0.2 cm thick and 2.5-3.0 cm long. A osmotic dehydration (OD) treatment of 3 h with a 65 °Bx sucrose syrup was applied and then the stripes were air-dried until 5 % moisture content was reached. A factorial design was used in which OD treatment temperatures were 30, 40 or 50 °C, and drying air temperatures were 50, 60 or 70 °C. The samples were evaluated by a group of 60 non-trained panelists using a non-structured hedonic scale. Results showed that the two variables of this study had a significant effect on the preference of the dried coconut shreds for either flavor or color. Treatments including OD at 40 °C and drying temperatures of 50 or 60 °C had the highest scores. OD treatment of wet coconut pulp before air drying improved color and flavor scores of the finished product. This could be an important quality advantage of a product with a well positioned market.
Session 88E, Fruit & Vegetable Products: Processing
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