Evaluation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic softening in low salt cucumber fermentations

Retention of a firm, crisp fruit texture is a major consideration for pickled vegetables including pickles made from fermented cucumbers. It is known that cucumbers soften rapidly when fermented at low salt concentrations (<0.5 M) without added calcium. This study has shown that there is non-enzymatic softening in low salt fermentations because cucumbers soften even when heated sufficiently to inactivate pectinesterase and several glycosidases that can hydrolyse glycosidic linkages that are present in cell wall polysaccharides. Though pectinesterase activity declines and these glycosidases lose activity within the first week of fermentation there is generally greater loss of cucumber tissue firmness when enzymes are not inactivated by heat. While heating cucumbers prior to fermentation reduces softening during subsequent storage, a heat treatment after 2 weeks of fermentation does not reduce softening. This result suggested that the enzymatic reactions responsible for softening occur early in the fermentation process even though the softening does not become evident until later in the storage period. Despite the evidence of an enzymatic component of tissue softening in low salt cucumbers, softening could not be associated with specific enzymes.     

DRYING CHARACTERISTICS AND PRODUCT QUALITY OF OKRA

ABSTRACT

Effects of size (whole and sliced), pre-treatment (blanching in water and 0.5% NaCl solution at 95° C) and temperature of drying air (40, 55 and 70° C) on the drying characteristics and quality of okra were studied. Estimation of the drying rate established that the drying of okra takes place under the falling rate period. Page's model was found to adequately describe the drying behavior of okra over a wide range of drying conditions used in the study. The coefficients of Page's model were correlated with air temperature and it was found that the dependence of the rate constant on the drying air temperature can be described using the Arrhenius law. The quality of the dried product was found to be best when okra was sliced and blanched at 95° C in 0.5% NaCl solution for 5 min and then dried at 55° C.     

THE DEHYDRATION OF GARLIC 2. THE EFFECTS OF PRETREATMENTS ON DRYING KINETICS

Abstract

The kinetics of drying of pretreated garlic slices of thickness 1.5 - 5.0 mm were determined at between 40 and 60°C using an air flow rate of 2.5 m/s. Pretreatmenl consisted in immersion of the slices in water or solutions of K₂CO₃, K₂CO₃ with olive oil, Na₂S₂O₅ or NaOH, at 25°C for 60 or ISO s. The effects of each pretreatmenl on the drying kinetics and the quality of the dried product were evaluated, in the latter case by determining its rehydration ratio. Pretreatment with water or the Na₂S₂O₅ solution gave good results regardless of the thickness of the garlic slices, whereas pretreatment with a dilute NaOH solution gave good resuhs for thin slices (≤2.5 mm). The experimental kinetic data were satisfactorily fitted by a difiusional kinetic model developed in Part 1 of this work.     

场致发光导光板修复工艺研究

采用曝光光刻法对场致发光导光板进行了修复研究,参考国军标和行标标准确定了产品指标要求,详尽分析了光刻涂料、透光层涂料和遮光层涂料的选用与调配等过程的工艺控制方法。本研究对于导光板产品的制造和修复工作有一定参考和借鉴价值。     

胡萝卜的气体射流冲击烫漂与干燥试验研究

以胡萝卜为研究对象,研究气体射流冲击的烫漂湿度及干燥条件对胡萝卜复水特性和色泽的影响。结果表明,烫漂湿度和干燥温度对复水率的影响较大,胡萝卜的复水率在较高的烫漂湿度时较高,但随温度的升高而降低。烫漂湿度对色差值的影响最大,其次是干燥温度,干燥风速对色差值的影响不大。烫漂湿度越大,复水后色泽越佳。     

Heat Transfer and Microbial Kinetics Modeling to Determine the Location of Microorganisms within Cucumber Fruit

ABSTRACT: Microbiological and modeling (combined heat transfer and microbial kinetic equations [HTMK] model) approaches were used to determine the location of microorganisms within cucumber. The total number of aerobes found within/on cucumbers varied from 10⁵ to 10⁷ colony-forming units (CFU) /g. The highest and the least amount of microbiota were respectively found at the blossom end and middle part of the cucumbers and were within the 1st 6 mm of the cucumber surface. A comparison of the calculated thermal death time from the HTMK model with the values obtained from experimental data showed that total aerobic microorganisms were located within 0.65 mm of the fruit surface.     

The role of drying methods on enzymatic activity and phenolics content of impregnated dried apple

Infusion of antioxidants into vegetables is a new food strategy managed by matrix processing. Raw and blanched apple were air- or freeze-dried. In the case of freeze-dried samples, different freezing methods were previously applied: conventional (?28°C), blast freezing (?30°C), and liquid N₂ (?196°C). Afterwards, air- and freeze-dried samples at different conditions were impregnated with a concentrated (40°Brix) tea extract and finally, air-dried for their stabilization. Total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AC), enzymatic activity, and microstructure were analyzed. Regardless of pretreatments, the impregnation and the further drying improved the antioxidant potential. Samples with the most porous microstructure free of degradative enzymes provided high AC (78.5?±?0.9?mg Trolox/g dried matter) and TPC (16.7?±?0.2?mg GAE/g dried matter).     

Optimisation of freezing process with pressure steaming of potato tissues (cv Monalisa)

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for determining optimum conditions of the freezing process on pectinesterase (PE) activity, rheological parameters and textural properties in potato tissues. In the process of production of frozen potatoes, the second step of the stepwise blanching prior to freezing was considered as a fixed factor and performed at 97 °C for 2 min as well as the freezing rate in the freezing step itself, which was carried out at −2 °C min⁻¹. The effects of variation in levels of temperature (57.93–72.07 °C) and time (15.86–44.14 min) in the first blanching step on the PE activity were studied using a central composite rotatable design. A Box–Behnken factorial design was used to investigate the effects of simultaneous variation of temperature (60–70 °C) and time (20–40 min) in the first blanching step and steaming temperature (112–122 °C) and time (1–3 min) on rheological parameters and textural properties. Blanching temperature was the independent variable that most influenced either enzymatic activity or rheological parameters. Stationary points showing maximum PE activity had critical temperature and time values of 64.22 °C and 29.37 min before freezing and 64.39 °C and 28.02 min after freezing and steaming of the tissues, and these values were very close to those obtained for some creep compliance parameters. Results show a high correlation between increases in PE activity and tissue firmness below optimum experimental freezing conditions, proving the role of the enzyme as one of the main contributors to the firmness which determines the textural quality of frozen potato tissues. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Flavonoid content of several vegetables and their antioxidant activity

Several vegetables were selected to study their flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities. The results showed that both green and purple leaves of sweet potatoes (185.01 and 426.82 mg kg⁻¹ respectively) and the outer leaves of onion (264.03 mg kg⁻¹) possessed higher amounts of flavonoids, and more than 85% of free radical scavenging activities were evaluated by using 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. In addition, green leaves of sweet potatoes and the outer leaves of onion showed higher reducing power and higher antioxidant activity in a linoleic acid system as compared to cabbage, spinach, potato and crown daisy. Blanching of green leaves of sweet potatoes for 30–60 s retained more flavonoids and higher free radical scavenging activities as compared to more than 1 min of blanching. The storage test showed that green leaves of sweet potatoes stored at 4–10 °C maintained better quality than those stored at room temperature. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry