Ultrasound Pretreatment Effect on Mass Transfer in Osmotic Dehydration of Mammea Americana

Ultrasound technology has gained increasing attention in the food sector as an effective tool to enhance product quality and process efficiency. In osmotic dehydration (OD), ultrasound acts as a pretreatment that accelerates mass transfer by inducing cavitation and microstructural changes in plant tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ultrasound pretreatment on mass transfer during the osmotic dehydration of mamey (Mammea americana), a tropical fruit with limited prior research in this context. Fruit samples were exposed to ultrasound frequencies of 28, 37, and 80 kHz for 20 and 30 minutes, followed by osmotic dehydration in 50 °Brix sucrose syrup at 35 ± 1 °C for 120 minutes. Statistical analysis (ANOVA, p < 0.05) showed that both frequency and the frequency–time interaction significantly affected water loss (WL) and weight reduction (WR), while pretreatment time alone was not significant. Treatments at 37 kHz (T2: 20 min and T5: 30 min) achieved the highest mass transfer values, with WR = 31.87%, WL = 40.19%, and solid gain (SG) = 6.08%. In contrast, samples treated at 80 kHz showed reduced dehydration efficiency. These findings demonstrate that applying ultrasound at 37 kHz for 20 minutes optimizes the osmotic dehydration of mamey by enhancing mass transfer efficiency. The results contribute to the understanding of ultrasound-assisted OD processes and support its application as a sustainable process intensification strategy for tropical fruit preservation.