Microwave blanching of vegetables for frozen storage
1982
Glasscock, S.J. | Axelson, J.M. | Palmer, J.K. | Phillips, J.A. | Taper, L.J.
Extract: Five vegetables, blanched using either microwave or hot water methods, were examined after 1, 2, 4, and 6 months of frozen storage. The vegetables were analyzed for residual peroxidase activity immediately after blanching. Storage stability of cooked and uncooked vegetables was determined by examining various quality factors after each period of frozen storage. Quality factors included color, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability of vegetables as measured using objective methodology and sensory evaluation. Broccoli and zucchini retained high levels of peroxidase activity after microwave blanching. Broccoli and green beans blanched with microwave energy retained less chlorophyll, had higher shear force values, and received lower sensory evaluation scores than the water blanched vegetables. The texture of zucchini blanched with microwave energy was limp as measured by shear force and by sensory evaluation. No significant differences were found in the quality of carrots or cauliflower blanched by the 2 methods. Instructions currently available for microwave blanching of vegetables for home freezing do not uniformly result in a good quality product. (author/kbc)
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