Osmotic dehydration and convective drying of guava

The objective of this work was to assess physicochemical and sensory properties of fresh and osmotically dehydrated guava submitted to convective air drying. Color stability of the dried fruits was also analyzed after 30, 60 and 90 days of storage under refrigeration. Guava slices were immersed into solutions of sucrose at 0.4 and 0.5 g mL(-1), of sucrose 0.3 g mL(-1) + sucralose at 0.2 g L-1, of inverted sugar at 41% (w/w) and undiluted inverted sugar syrup. Total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, pH, color, aroma, appearance, flavor and texture were evaluated. Soluble solids increased linearly in function of immersion time with no effect of the type of solute employed. Less concentrated sucrose solutions showed higher citric acid preservation in guava slices. Dried samples that were not submitted to osmotic dehydration showed higher color alteration when compared to those osmotically dehydrated. Sucrose solutions were more effective in maintaining color stability than inverted sugar syrups. Osmotically dehydrated guavas were well accepted by consumers, while convective-dried guavas were rejected.