Lab Report : Dyhydration of fruit to determine moisture

content (Food science experiment, November 25 and 28, 2016)

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to see changes in fruits after they are
dehydrated and find the moisture content in each fruits.

Work Log
Wade Q1, Purpose, Data table, Work log
Gun Q1, Q3, Data table, Work log, APA Reference
Chino Q1, Q2, Data table
Mint Q1, Q2

Data Table : Moisture Content in different fruit

Fruit (Owner) Mass of sample Mass of sample after Moisture Content
before dehydration dehydration (%)
(g) (g)

Kiwi (Gun) 7.54 1.34 MCW=7.54-1.34 /

7.54 * 100 = 82.22

Apple (Mint) 3.49 0.71 79.65

Mango (Wade) 1.59 0.18 88.68

Pineapple (Chino) 2.85 0.3 89.47

How to calculate : Mass before dehydration (g) - Mass after dehydration (g)/ Mass before
dehydration (g) x 100 = Moisture Content of Food (MCw)

Q1
- Pineapple : before dehydration, pineapple sample are cut into cube shape
(2.7x2.7x0.3 cm.), 2.85 g, faint yellow color. smelly, wet and watery appearance, juicy
taste. After dehydration, pineapple is smaller in both size ( 2x1.5x0.1 cm.) and mass
(0.3 g.), yellow color, less smell, dry, hard and rough texture, taste change(less

flavor) and the shape look not equal.

Pineapple before dehydration & after dehydration
 - Kiwi : 1. before dehydration -> diameter 4.2-4.8 cm. height 2 cm. color =
yellow & green appearance = watery, moist smell = savory
2.After dehydration -> diameter 4 cm. height 0.1 cm. color = brown-yellow
appearance = dry, rough, hard, sticky smell = fruity, smelly taste = extremely sour

- Apple : 1. Before dehydration, the apple has a cube shape(1.5x1.5x1.8), the

color is yellow and some brown, it juicy, the taste is sweet, it smelly, it has the mass
of 3.49g.
2. After dehydration, the apple look wither, the color is yellow and a littlebit
brown, each side is not equal, it has sweeter taste, the feeling is sticky, it has the

mass of 0.71.
 Apple sample before dehydration Apple sample after dehydration

- Mango: 1. Before dehydrated, the mango samples are both in cube shape
(1.1 x 1.1 x 1 cm), color of normal yellow, in solid state, and the mass of 1.59g (Sample 1)
and 1.65g (Sample 2).

2. After dehydrated: the mango samples are in the shape of squeezed cube
with the size of 0.9 x 0.6 x 0.5 cm for Sample 1 and 1 x 0.6 x 0.5 cm for Sample 2, as well as
normal yellow color, less thicker and the mass of 0.18g (Sample 1) and 0.23g
(Sample 2). The taste on both sample are like pineapple and the feeling is very sticky.

Mango sample before dehydrated Mango sample after dehydrated

Q2 : Were the sample completely dry? Why not? Why did some sample dry more efficiently
than other?
- The sample is not completely dry it has a little bit water inside because the
food sample that we cut is not too thin to make the heat go inside.
- The reason that some sample dry more efficiently than other is because the
samples shape and the way that samples are cut (how much the thickness is) as it
will be easily dehydrate the sample by heat if sample are not too much thick.

Q3 : We have to choose dried fruit carefully because some of them have sugar,salt, or even
sulphites added, so this led to the unhealty of dried fruit products. Some of them have too
much sugar, so people who have diabetes cannot take this products. Some of them contains
too much salt, then people who have a problem about the kidneys cannot eat it. People who
have an allergic to sulphites cannot eat dried fruits that have sulphites added. Some of them
also have color added which is not good for your health. (Weiss, n.d.) Good dried fruits
should not contain lots of the ingredients listed above, but the problem is the products
cannot last long without those things. The products should be eaten within the day of
making.
APA Reference

Weiss, A(n.d.) How Healthy Is Dried Fruit?

Retrieved from
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/healthy-dried-fruit