STORAGE STABILITY OF MANGO PROCESSED BY OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION AND OVEN DRYING

Dehydrated mango was obtained by combination of osmotic dehydration and oven drying. The osmotic dehydration was carried out under atmospheric pressure or vacuum. Products were stored at room temperature and relative humidity for 120 days in 200 g PET trays. Stability tests involved analysis of texture, color L*a*b*, moisture content, water activity (Aw), microbiological counts and sensory evaluation. The products were microbiologically stable during storage. The Aw values and moisture content decreased significantly throughout storage time. There were no significant variations in L*a*b* parameters for the product osmotically pre-treated under atmospheric pressure, whereas L* and b* varied during storage for the product pre-treated under vacuum, indicative of browning during the storage. Both products attained good acceptance, scoring around 7.0 ("like moderately") until the end of storage time.