APLICAÇÃO DA ENERGIA DE MICRO-ONDAS PARA SECAGEM DA BANANA NANICA (Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish') SUBMETIDA AO PROCESSO DE OSMOSE

In Brazil, bananas are extremely important because they are the second most cultivated fruit after citrus. Therefore, this work aimed to perform the osmotic dehydration of the dwarf banana (Musa acuminata'Dwarf Cavendish')associated with microwave drying. The characterization of the raw material, dehydration and domestic microwave drying, drying kinetics, rehydration capacity and characterization of the final product were performed. As a result it was noted that microwave drying was satisfactory for drying. A moisture content of 29.38% was obtained, a pH of 4.77 and a rehydration capacity of 174% in banana without pretreatment and 32.33%, 4.83% and 120% respectively for osmotically dehydrated. The use of this combination proved to be a viable alternative in extending the life of the Dwarf Cavendish.