Sweetened fruits and vegetables, named "spoon sweets", are produced by soaking in hot water and subsequent treatment with sugar solutions. Fresh small unripe oranges were processed with sucrose syrup (30%,45% and 60%, w/v) at various temperatures (28 degrees C, 55 degrees C, 70 degrees C and 90 degrees C). Pretreatment soaking of fruits at temperatures higher than 90 OC is necessary for texture softening (up to 90% of initial texture). The mechanical properties of the fruits in warm water (55 degrees C, 70 degrees C, 90 degrees C) were also examined by submission to force-compression tests using a texture analysis device. Four texture parameters were selected for evaluation: hardness, failure stress, failure strain and Young's modulus of elasticity. Mechanical properties, water loss and sugar solid gain of samples showed a strong dependence on the processing temperature, on the presoaking time and on the sucrose concentration. Increase of syrup concentration during prolonged osmotic processing at 90 degrees C of the presoaked samples showed a stabilization of skin firmness and strength. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.