Abstract

Osmotic dehydration (OD) typically requires a long processing time, so the incorporation of CO2-laser microperforations could reduce it. The aims of this study were 1) to explore the potential acceleration of the OD process coupled with CO2-laser microperforations and 2) to mathematically evaluate the diffusion process through a complementary error function (erfc). Apple slices pretreated with two micropore sizes and two configurations were immersed in a solution of 45. Brix at 40 degrees C for 10 h. The total solid content in the apple slices was measured. A model based on erfc was used to determine the effective diffusion coefficient (D-eff). The results showed a significant increase in D-eff for microperforated samples, especially for those with the largest pores compared with control (R-2 > 0.92). Additionally, pores were able to reduce the processing time by up to 63% for big pores (600 mu m) and between 22% and 45% for small pores (23 mu m).