EL-GENDY, M. (2014). EVALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF DEHYDRATED FIGS PREPARED BY OSMOTIC-DRYING PROCESS. Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 92(1), 337-348. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2014.154842
MANAL A. EL-GENDY. "EVALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF DEHYDRATED FIGS PREPARED BY OSMOTIC-DRYING PROCESS". Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 92, 1, 2014, 337-348. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2014.154842
EL-GENDY, M. (2014). 'EVALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF DEHYDRATED FIGS PREPARED BY OSMOTIC-DRYING PROCESS', Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 92(1), pp. 337-348. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2014.154842
EL-GENDY, M. EVALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF DEHYDRATED FIGS PREPARED BY OSMOTIC-DRYING PROCESS. Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 2014; 92(1): 337-348. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2014.154842
EVALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF DEHYDRATED FIGS PREPARED BY OSMOTIC-DRYING PROCESS
Food Technology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.
Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the quality attributes of osmotic-dried figs pretreated with various types of osmotic date syrup (40, 50, 60 and 70% syrup), compared with the quality attributes of untreated figs (control). The figs pretreated with date syrup 70% had the lowest dehydration time for osmotic figs followed by date syrup 60, 50, and 40%, respectively. The physicochemical properties, microbiological assessment and quality attributes of osmotic-dried and control figs just after processing and during the storage for 6 months were also evaluated. Results indicated that osmotic-dried figs pretreated with date syrup 70% had the highest retention of ascorbic acid followed by date syrup 60, 50 and 40%, respectively. Reducing sugars content of the final product was ranged from 51.69 to 56.50% for osmotic-dried figs in all various pretreatment processes. While, the corresponding values of fibers were ranged from 9.53 to 9.75%. The untreated dried figs (control) had the highest total bacteria count (9.1x102 cfu/g), while the osmotic-dried figs pretreated with date syrup 70% recorded the lowest total bacteria count (2.6 x102 cfu/g). On the other hand, both total count of bacteria and total count of yeasts and molds were proportionally decreased with extending the storage period and reached to the maximum reduction after 6 months of storage. The osmotic-dried figs pretreated with date syrup 70% recorded the highest sensory scores of color, texture, taste, flavor and overall acceptability followed by osmotic-dried figs pretreated with date syrup 60, 50 and 40% and the untreated figs (control) immediately after processing and during the storage at ambient temperature. Therefore, pretreatment of figs with osmotic date syrup to produce osmotic-dried products played an important role in producing higher quality dried figs compared with the untreated dried figs.