Substantiating the feasibility of processing the secondary product obtained after osmotic dehydration of dried apricots

Abstract

The object of research is the production technology of dried apricots by the method of osmotic dehydration and the derived products that are formed in the process. An improved technology for processing the secondary product of apricot production has been proposed, which is based on increasing the osmotic pressure in the cells of plant raw materials by increasing the concentration of dry substances. The improved technology involves the use of the process of osmotic dehydration in a 70 % sugar solution with a temperature of up to 55±5 °C as an alternative to the blanching process. This provides a reduction in drying time to 1 hour due to the partial transition of water from the fruit cells into the sugar solution. The spent osmotic solution contains biologically valuable substances. The mass fraction of dry substances in the spent solution decreased by 17.4 %. It was found that spent osmotic solutions contain 15.87±0.05 mg/100 carotenoids, which cause their orange color. Color stability is likely caused by the acidity of the osmotic solution (pH=3.7±0.05). As a result of hydrolysis, sucrose, which was the main component of the osmotic solution before dehydration of apricot fruits, is partially inverted into glucose (21.41±0.05) and fructose (19.99±0.05 g/100 g). Fortified sugar had a light beige color, pure without stains and impurities, sweet taste, and aroma of apricot. The jelly-like soft drink, made on the basis of a derivative product formed during the production of dried apricots, had a sweet taste, a slight aroma of apricot. The color of the meal is cream. Light straw-colored jelly, sweet in taste, with a faint aftertaste and aroma of apricot, had a jelly-like uniform consistency that can be cut. The study showed the possibility of practical application of derived products, which are usually disposed of, for production.