EQUILIBRIUM DATA FOR OSMOTIC CONCENTRATION of POTATO IN NACL‐WATER SOLUTION

Equilibrium data needed in modeling of osmotic dehydration are reported for unblanched diced potato in contact with aqueous solutions of sodium chloride. Diced potato, 1 cm cubes, were equilibrated with 0–12% (w/w) aqueous NaCl solutions at three temperatures (8, 21 and 35°C). the mass fraction of total solids nonsalt (w F 3 ) in potato at equilibrium was modeled as a function of mass fraction of total solids in the fresh material at full turgor (w F 3 ), concentration of NaCl in the external solution (w IB ) and temperature. Using w F 3 and w IB , and assuming that the activity of NaCl in the potato tissue and the external solution at equilibrium are equal, equilibrium densities were calculated based on the principle of volume additivity. the predicted and experimentally measured equilibrium densities were in close agreement.