| Abstract: | The pattern of fracturability loss of 11 selected fruits and vegetables during thermal processing was studied. In general, the first-order kinetic model is adequate in describing such changes during heating of edible plant tissue before reaching equilibrium texture. However, textural changes are less predictable by the first-order kinetic model in tissues having thick cell walls (such as those derived from stems and roots) than in tissues having thin cell walls (such as those derived from fruits). For a given species (potato), the first-order model can be applied regardless of sample dimension, morphological origin of the sample, heating temperature, variety, prior storage conditions, maturity and minor agronomic variation. |
