Air-drying and osmotic dehydration of banana: their effects on changes of volatile components of dehydrated product

The effect of air-drying and osmotic dehydration of banana slices (Cavendish variety of Australia) on the flavour and volatile components of dried banana was studied. This was conducted to obtain a better understanding of the drying kinetics of banana, and the influence of process parameters on maintaining or enhancing the quality of dried product in terms of volatile retention. Air-drying of banana was found to occur mainly in the falling rate period. A diffusion model based on Pick's Second Law was used to predict the changes of moisture content as a function of diying time at different temperatures, and thickness of banana slabs. Green and ripe banana slices were dried to investigate the influence of different maturity of banana on the drying behavior.