Water loss and solid gain of sweet potato slices increased with time. A high initial rate of water removal and solid gain, followed by a slower removal (and gain) in the later stages was observed. Several research groups have published similar curves for osmotic dehydration of foods (COLLIGNAN; RAOULT-WACK, 1994; KAYMAK-ERTEKIN; SULTANOGLU, 2000; PARK et al., 2002).