Sorption properties of cambuci (Campomanesia phaea O. Berg) untreated and pre-treated with sorbitol as osmotic solute

Abstract Sorption isotherms of sorbitol osmotically pre-treated cambuci slices were obtained at (40, 50, and 60) °C using DDI (dynamic) method. The curves were classified as type III and the fruits showed hydrophobic behavior at water activities (aw) lower than 0.4. The pre-treatment with sorbitol as osmotic solute resulted in changes in the sorption behavior indicating that this solute acts as a humidifier due to the water-binding property. The equilibrium moisture content (Xeq) was determined at (20, 30, and 40) % of relative humidity (RH). The results showed that the RH, pre-treatment and temperature significantly affected the Xeq (p Δ H s ) was calculated and reinforced the water-binding property of sorbitol as, for the same Xeq, the Δ H s obtained by cambuci pre-treated samples were greater than by control ones.