Osmotic Dehydration Applications in Meat

Osmotic dehydration is a non-thermal, partial drying process applied for the removal of water in food products, as well as for the absorption of various solutes (salt, sugar, etc.). In the osmotic dehydration process, the food material is immersed in a high concentration solution to obtain a final product with lower water activity. However, since the final products with very low water activity cannot be obtained with osmotic dehydration, this method is applied as a pretreatment. The water loss in the product takes place in a shorter time with the osmotic dehydration process applied before drying. The most effective factors on osmotic dehydration are the type of osmotic agent, concentration, process temperature, process time and sample/solution ratio. The low process temperature in osmotic dehydration prevents the loss of color and aroma in food products and contributes the functional, nutritional and sensory properties of products. In addition, the fact that it is a very economical process and does not pose any negative effects in terms of human health makes the method advantageous. In this review, when the osmotic dehydration process is used as a pretreatment in meat processing, the effects on the quality characteristics of the product were mentioned. It has been determined that osmotic dehydration used in various meats (chicken, pork, beef, lamb, ostrich meat and a wide variety of seafood) improves many quality parameters such as color and sensory properties and shelf life of the products. Dried meat with better texture were obtained with the use of specific osmotic agents. It is also recommended to use osmotic dehydration in combination with some applications such as ultrasound or high pressure for effective drying of meat. It was determined that osmotic dehydration process used before convective drying significantly reduced the drying time of meat.