Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1218555 | Journal of Food Composition and Analysis | 2009 | 10 Pages |
Osmotic dehydration is an appropriate technique for preserving nutritional components that are naturally present in different vegetables. In order to quantitatively evaluate changes induced by osmotic treatment in CIEL*a*b* colorimetric parameters and lycopene and β-carotene content, cherry tomato in halves (L. esculentum var. cerasiforme cv. Cocktail) were osmotically treated by immersion in different solutions (a 20% w/w, NaCl solution, a 55 Brix sucrose solution and a ternary solution (10% NaCl and 27.5% sucrose)) at 30, 40 and 50 °C for 24 h. The alteration suffered by the cellular tissue was also analysed by means of microscopic observations. The obtained results showed a general increase in a* and b* coordinates resulting from the concentration of the liquid phase and a decrease in lightness as a consequence of the enhancement in sample opacity. Regarding carotenoids content, an increase in lycopene and β-carotene was observed in samples osmotically dehydrated at moderate temperatures (30 °C and 40 °C) with the solutions that include sucrose on its composition. In addition, microscopic observations revealed a direct relationship between the integrity of the cellular matrix and the preservation or even synthesis of lycopene and β-carotene.