الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Osmotic dehydration represents a good choice that maintains the freshness characteristics of fruit products and improves the processed fruit quality such as texture, pigment, vitamins and aroma content. The study was undertaken to check the usefulness of concentrated apricot juice as osmotic medium which could replace sucrose in production of osmotically dehydrated apricot halves. Apricot fruit (Prunus armeniaca) was dehydrated in different osmotic solutions and with iso-tonic solution with or without calcium (250 ppm). The osmotic solutions consist of concentrated apricot juice (60º Brix) and sucrose solution (60º Brix) and mixtures of both media to give final concentration of 60º Brix. Sulphered dehydrated apricot fruit without osmotic step was taken as a control. After osmotic dehydration, the fruit were dried in an air-oven and then subjected to chemical, physical analyses and sensory assessment. In all the combinations investigated allowed to produce osmo-convectively dried apricot halves in high quality retaining all of its original flavor and nutritional properties. According to microscopic images of apricot tissues, the use of calcium chloride supported the cell walls and maintained the original shape of the cell. But the application of concentrated fruit juices slightly intensified sensation of apricot taste and aroma and allowed adjusting the flavor profile according to consumer’s preferences of the final product. The results overall acceptable of the experiment presented do not justify the use of fruit juices as a single osmotic agent in osmo-dehydrated apricot halves. The use of sucrose in addition to apricot juice as osmotic agents, led to the production of dried apricot halves with good rehydration