Mass transfer and phenolic profile of strawberries upon refrigerated osmodehydration

Whole strawberries were osmodehydrated at low temperature (5 degrees C) in a sucrose syrup (500 g/kg of solution) for different processing times (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h); after the treatment, water loss, solid gain, and weight reduction were recorded. Next, the osmodehydrated samples were frozen, and after a 5-month storage at - 18 degrees C they were analyzed for drip loss, titratable acidity, refractometric index, pH, and sensory acceptance. The phenolic profile of the samples was characterized by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After thawing, osmodehydrated samples presented a high acceptability for consumers. In addition, they presented drip loss values that were inversely correlated with the processing time, with 120-h samples presenting negligible drip loss after thawing. The processing time influenced the final quality of strawberries, and samples treated for 24-48 h were very suitable for direct consumption after thawing, in substitution of fresh strawberries. The samples treated for 72 120 h also presented characteristics that may render them suitable for applications in the food industry.