TECHNICAL NOTE OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION OF POTATO: EQUILIBRIUM KINETICS M. Shafiur Rahman, Shyam S. Sablani,* and M. Alawi Al-Ibrahim Department of Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture, Sultan Qaboos University, P. O. Box 34, Al Khod 34, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman ABSTRACT Osmotic dehydration kinetics of potato slices and cubes was studied using sugar syrup of different concentrations and temperatures. The initial concentration of sucrose was varied from 30 to 65%, and temperature was varied from 22 to 80  C. The equilibrium coefficients for solids ranged from 0.84 to 1.55, and for water it ranged from 0.70 to 1.05. The equili- brium coefficient for solids increased with the increase in temperature while it decreased with the increase in syrup con- centration. However, the equilibrium coefficient for water decreased with increasing temperature and it increased with the increase in syrup concentration. A multiple regression analysis of experimental data was carried out to correlate equilibrium coefficients with dimensionless temperature and syrup concentration. 1163 Copyright & 2001 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. www.dekker.com * Corresponding author. E-mail: shyam@squ.edu.om DRYING TECHNOLOGY, 19(6), 1163–1176 (2001) Downloaded By: [sultan qaboos university] At: 05:56 14 September 2008