Uticaj procesa osmotske dehidratacije na prenos mase i kvalitet mesa svinja / The effect of the osmotic dehydration process on mass transfer and pork meat quality

Process of osmotic dehydration of pork meat in three different osmotic solutions (sodium chloride and sucrose dissolved in water, mixture of sodium chloride, sucrose dissolved in water and molasses and sugar beet molasses) of different concentrations, at three temperatures (20°C, 35°C & 50°C) and three different times of duration of the process (1, 3 & 5h) was investigated. Measured and calculated responses of the osmotic dehydration process were: dry matter content, water loss, solid gain, dehydration efficiency index and value of water activity. The results showed that the increase of technological parameters: time and temperature of the process, as well as the concentration of the osmotic solutions led to the intensified mass transfer in the process and increased values of process responses, in either co-counter or current processes of osmotic solutions. Based on obtained results mathematical models of dependence of process responses from applied technological parameters for co- and counter-current processes of osmotic dehydrations were developed. By the means of “Score” analyses the values of technological parameters which produced optimal efficiency of the process were calculated. In this research process energy balance was investigated by comparison to the convective drying, where the highest energy efficiency was determined in the processes at the temperature of 20°C. Characteristics of osmo-dehydrated pork meat were also investigated, pointing at the improvement of microbiological, chemical and nutritive profile of the meat after the process, as well as the change of color and texture, where sugar beet molasses, as an osmotic solution, had shown the best effects on changes of dehydrated meat characteristics. Based on all investigated effects of varied parameters, the optimal process parameters can be defined as: counter-current process, of 5 hours duration, at 20°C, in molasses as an osmotic solution. Process like that leads to the total improvement of pork meat characteristics introducing nutritive benefit from molasses chemical composition into human nutrition.