FUNCTIONAL-PROPERTIES AND VERSATILITY OF DRIED FRUIT PIECES REHYDRATED IN SUGAR SOLUTIONS

Sugar solutions with different sugar composition and concentration wer e used to reconstitute dried apple cubes. The mass transfer between fr uit pieces and solution during the rehydration process and the physico chemical characteristics of the reconstituted products were evaluated. The results indicate that by varying the concentration of the sugar s olution and reconstitution time, it is possible to obtain rehydrated a pple pieces, from the same dried product, with different and peculiar characteristics such as water activity, freezing point, amount of free zable water and firmness. In addition, these characteristics were line arly correlated with soluble solids content in the rehydrated products . In this way the reconstituted dried apples can be used as ingredient in formulated foods at different levels of water activity and also in frozen dessert or ice cream.