Osmotic Dehydration: Theory, Methodologies, and Applications in Fish, Seafood, and Meat Products

Abstract

Osmotic dehydration is an effective and viable process useful for the partial removal of water. During osmotic dehydration, cellular materials are placed in a concentrated solution of solute, and this has been widely studied as a convenient method to improve the economics of dehydration processes. The rate of diffusion of water from any material made up of such tissue depends upon various factors such as: temperature and concentration of the osmotic solution, the size and the geometry of the material, the solution-to-material mass ratio, and the level of agitation of the solution. This chapter summarizes all the methods currently applied for osmotic dehydration of foods, including advantages and disadvantages per category. Apart from the methodologies, an extensive review is carried out on the application of osmotic dehydration on fish and seafood products with emphasis on its effect on physical properties (aw, pH, viscosity) and shelf-life prolongation. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd..