Deshidratación osmótica del mango utilizando una solución con azúcar, para un secado complementario en microondas.

Abstract

In the present investigation, the effect of osmotic dehydration of mango was evaluated. This research aimed to dehydrate mango with the osmotic technique using three solutions with sugar at different concentrations (30%, 45%, and 60%) for subsequent mango microwave drying using three times (15sec, 30sec, and 45sec). Physical-chemical, microbiological, and organoleptic tests were carried out in 9 treatments with three replicates each. The organoleptic tests determined the shelf life using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the production costs to determine the product's profitability. The values yielded by the research were subjected to ANOVA analysis of variance, and TUKEY mean comparison ≤ 0.005. For a completely randomized design, Infostat software was used. Using this methodology, it was possible to determine that the treatment with the lowest moisture content was T5 of 45% sugar and 30 sec in the microwave, obtaining values that ranged from 10.122 to 11.123. Microbiological analysis showed that the product is free of Salmonella and E. coli. The treatment with 30% sugar was the least accepted in the organoleptic analysis. The economic analysis showed that the profitability of the product was good. In this context, it is concluded that the 30% sugar treatment did not result in a quality product. The sugar level factor is the only one that significantly affects the moisture variable. Also, the product's safety was guaranteed by the absence of E. coli and Salmonella, and finally, the profitability can be improved with mass production.