Using polyols as alternative solutes for osmotic dehydration of banana slices

This study evaluated the efficacy of polyols by comparing them to sucrose in the osmotic dehydration (OD) of banana slices. The OD process was conducted by immersing the banana slices in binary solutions of sucrose, maltitol, xylitol, and erythritol, each with the same water activity, for periods of 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes at 30 °C. The mass transfer kinetics were analyzed. Fresh and osmo-dehydrated samples were assessed based on quality parameters. During OD, water loss, solid gain, and weight reduction increased, while moisture content decreased. The Peleg model accurately represented the mass transfer kinetics. OD led to reductions in moisture content, water activity, luminosity, and yellowness, while it increased the color intensity of the banana slices. The type of osmotic agent did not significantly affect solid gain or shrinkage. Sucrose was the only solute that increased hardness. Erythritol produced samples with higher luminosity and yellowness, and less overall color alteration. Among the polyols, erythritol emerged as the most effective osmotic agent, according to the desirability function, making it an interesting alternative to sucrose for the production of osmo-dehydrated banana slices with low glycemic and insulinemic indexes.