Osmotic dehydration is used as a pre-treatment step to
improve nutritional, sensorial and functional properties
of food without changing its integrity. It is also
employed as a pre-drying step before foods are
subjected to other drying techniques, to reduce the
exposure of food as well as reduce the energy
consumption in the drying process (Brooks et al.,
2008; Tortoe, 2010). It is reported that up to 50% of
the initial moisture content of some food products can be removed in this way (Wais et al., 2004; Tortoe, 2010). Factors such as temperature of the osmotic solution, type of osmotic agent, duration of exposure, concentration of the osmotic solution and geometry (size) of the food material can affect mass transfer during osmotic dehydration (Tortoe, 2010).