Mass transfer rate and osmotic treatment efficiency of peaches

The highest-quality peaches [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] are cultivated in areas with sunny summers, therefore the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is a favourable region for their production. Peaches are usually consumed fresh, canned, or dried and represent a great source of the essential nutrients. Osmotic dehydration is a well-known preservation method that relies on mild temperatures and requires low energy. Research conducted at the Faculty of Technology Novi Sad has introduced sugar beet molasses as an efficient osmotic solution for drying various food samples. In this research, peach samples were osmotically treated in sugar beet molasses, and the goal was to investigate the impact of different solution concentrations, temperatures, and immersion time on the mass transfer rate and the efficiency of treatment. The results have shown that the mass transfer rate during the osmotic treatment of peach samples in sugar beet molasses was the most intensive at the beginning of the process, at the highest solution concertation, and at the highest temperature. In accordance with the results, diffusion occurred most rapidly during the first three hours of the process; therefore, processing time can be reduced.