Effect of Pretreatment and Osmotic Dehydration on the Quality and Technological Properties of Dried Banana (cv. Thap Maeo)

The banana is a product to preserve banana, avoid post-harvest losses and add value. This study aims to evaluate pre-treatments of prevention enzymatic browning and osmotic dehydration, influence on drying time, proximate analysis, physicochemical characterization, color and yield in bananas cv. Thap Maeo. The biometric characterization was performed. Bananas cv. Thap Maeo was submitted to pre-processing: antioxidant (acid ascorbic (0.25%), acid citric (0.30%)), bleaching (94°C), sulphitation (Na2S2O5/0.01%), with and without osmotic dehydration in sucrose solution (65°Brix/6h) and oven dried (65°C). The obtained products were evaluated for drying curve, chemical composition, physicochemical characteristics, internal color and external color, and dried banana yield. The banana of cv. Thap Maeo presents big bunches, high number of fruits, class 12, medium fruits, moderately sweet, low acidity, pulp yield (80.47%) e 92.65 kcal). These technological properties are interesting for agribusiness. There are significant differences for prevention and enzymatic browning, osmotic dehydration and interaction for several evaluated parameters. Dried banana with osmotic dehydration dried in 32 h, dry matter (80.1%), carbohydrates (74%), TSS (65º Brix), TSS/TTA ratio (59.3), ash content (0.4%), lower Aw (0.59), moisture content (19.9%), lower texture (2.23 N), 312 Kcal. Bleaching was the best in preventing the enzymatic browning in dried banana, with lower values of crude fat (0.24%), DM (78.1%), texture (less hard, 2.43 N), low moisture content (21.9%), low pH (4.26), AW (0.66), high yield (39%). Color light, red and yellow: color external (L*(29.1), a*(10), b*(10.3)) and color internal (L*(38.9), a*(12.1), b*(19.9)). The dried banana blanched with osmotic dehydration can be an opportunity for agribusiness bananas, added value, and conservation bananas, and can serve as a basis for Local Productive Arrangements - APL’s, in the Amazon. We recommend that further studies bleaching be carried in bananas with peel, steam blanching, immersion in liquid nitrogen, freeze cycles, and loss of minerals.