Osmotic dehydration for partial dehydration of food
materials, especially of fruits and vegetables, used previous
to freezing leads to substantial energy savings. The osmotic
dehydration step consists of a simple immersion of the
foodstuff in a highly concentrated solution of salt and/or
sugar close to room temperature. As a consequence of
the concentration gradient, the water from the food flows
towards the solution and, in the inverse sense, the solutes
from the solution to the product