Shrinkage, density, porosity and shape changes during dehydration of pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo L.) fruits

The aim of this work was to study the changes in volume, density, porosity and shape factors of pumpkin tissue during osmotic dehydration (OD) and air drying (AD). Pumpkin cylinders with length/diameter ratio of 5/3 were used. OD experiments were carried out with solutions of sucrose, sodium chloride and mixtures of both solutes at different temperatures. AD experiments were conducted at 70 °C. Volume of samples decreased linearly with weight reduction (WR). Bulk density varied in a restricted range (5–13%) during dehydration and for all the methods maximum values were found. Particle density increased during both processes. Porosity increased at advanced degrees of dehydration, showing a minimum value at the beginning of OD and AD. The proposed models to evaluate shrinkage, bulk and particle densities and porosity from WR were satisfactorily applied. Image analysis showed that shrinkage of samples during OD was isotropic. Pumpkin cylinders increased elongation and decreased roundness and compactness during osmotic dehydration.