CHANGES OF SUGARS AND ACIDS OF OSMOVAC‐DRIED APPLE SLICES

ABSTRACT Freshly sliced apple tissue was subjected to osmotic dehydration and vacuum drying. The tissue was fist immersed in a 70% sucrose syrup at 50°C for 4 hr which resulted in a 30% increase in total solids due to water loss and sugar uptake. Subsequent vacuum drying produced a product with little browning although no browning inhibitor was used. Analyses of sugars by GLC showed that sucrose and D‐glucose levels increased while D‐fructose level remained constant during the process. Total organic acid level decreased slightly, contributing to a threefold increase in the sugar‐to‐acid ratio of the final product compared to the initial apples.