Physico-chemical changes during refrigeration storage of osmotic dehydrated coconut

Abstract

Sugar solution containing 10 and 20o brix were used as osmotic agents for the processing of osmotic dehydrated coconut and stored at ambient and refrigeration condition. The free fatty acid content of ambient temperature stored dehydrated coconuts T0, T1, and T3 were between the range of 0.410 to 1.186, 0.404 to 0.564 and 0.394 to 0.523 per cent, respectively, whereas the refrigeration stored samples were ranged between 0.410 to 0.905, 0.404 to 0.496 and 0.394 to 0.482 per cent. Initially T0, T1 and T2 contained 4.52, 4.45 and 4.38 per cent of peroxide value, respectively. At the end of the storage, the values were between the range of 6.77 to 8.34 (control), 5.13 to 5.79 (T1) and 4.92 to 5.19 (T­2) per cent. The samples T1 and T2 initially had 4.0 x 106/g of bacteria and increased into 6.0 and 5.0 x 106/g the end of the storage.