Abstract: In order to determine the effect of trehalose as a total or partial replacement of sucrose in osmotic dehydration on the quality of candied strawberry, the changes in the solid growth rate, water loss rate, water activity, free sugar content, water state, texture and color of candied strawberry were studied when the osmotic dehydration was performed using a mixture of trehalose at varying levels ranging from 0% to 40% and sucrose (the total mass was 40% of that of strawberry). The results showed that with increasing trehalose proportion, the solid gain rate decreased linearly while the water activity and the trehalose content increased linearly. However, the relationships of trehalose levels with the transverse relaxation times and peak areas for three water states and color parameters were all fitted to a quadratic function, indicating that the interaction between trehalose and sucrose is mainly manifested in the freedom of water and color. In addition, excessive addition of trehalose increased the individual differences in the texture of candied strawberry. At addition levels of 35% and 40%, the variation coefficients of viscous force were 174% and 67%, respectively, which were higher than those at the other addition levels (17%–46%). The research results provide a reference for the application of trehalose in candied strawberry.

Key words: trehalose; osmotic dehydration; candied strawberry; water state; quality