Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) on the Antioxidant and Volatile Properties of Candied Wumei Fruit (Prunus mume) During Osmotic Dehydration

Candied wumei fruit (Prunus mume) is a traditional product in Eastern Asian countries generally obtained by a long osmotic dehydration (OD) process. This study evaluated the effect of the application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and heating pre-treatments to accelerate the OD process on some bioactive compound content, antioxidant activity, and volatile profile of wumei fruit. Whole fruits were subjected to HPP treatment (50 MPa for 1 min) and heating (100 °C for 1 min) and then to OD in a 40% sucrose solution for 5 days. Results showed that both heating and HPP pre-treatment increased mass transfer in a comparable way; however, HPP allowed a significant higher retention of antioxidant compounds and activity compared with the heating treatment, resulting in similar values to the untreated product. Moreover, HPP promoted the release of various volatile components resulting in a richer volatile profile compared with both control and heat-treated samples. Hence, HPP showed good potentiality as an alternative non-thermal pre-treatment for the production of candied wumei fruit characterized by high nutritional and sensorial properties.