6 Processing of Fruits and Vegetables Processing of fruits and vegetables into various products which could be reserved for along time and add to value of product using proper cost effective technology will be a viable tool for improving economic status of farmer as well as our country. Modern methods of fruit and vegetable preservation are broadly classified as follows: i. Physical methods : This includes removal of heat (eg: Chilling, Freezing etc- discussed in chapter no. 8), addition of heat (eg: Canning, Blanching etc), removal of water-(eg: Dehydration, Freeze drying- discussed in chapter 7) and irradiation. Details of these processing methods will be discussed in following sections, ii, Chemical methods : This includes addition of acid (eg: Vinegar, lactic acid), salting or brining (eg: Pickles), addition of sugar and heating (eg: y Jams, Jellies) and by addition of chemical preservatives. These methods are detailed in chapter 9. iii, Fermentation : (eg: Alcohol production, discussed in chapter no.10). iv. Other methods : (This includes a judicious combination of one or more of the methods mentioned above for synergistic preservation). i Although all the main classes of preservation are employed in varying tents, in case of a variety of fruits and vegetables, some of them are of Particular significance now in view of their economic importance. They 2° efficient, comparatively simple in operation, have universal application and as such attained commercial importance. A few of the important “Pplications of these methods are mentioned briefly in following section. | Peeling Peeling is the primary unit operation in processing of many fruits and : i * appentles to remove unwanted or inedible material, and to improve tance of final product. Main consideration is to minimize cost bysd Post Harvest Technology of H 2: —$—___—_- BY of. ticultral Chopy ing as little of the underlying food as possible and reducin ee a material costs to a minimum. The peeled surface should be ae ; and undamaged. There are five main methods of peeling viz; knife mean abrasion peeling; flame peeling, flash steam peeling, and lye peeling "8. Knife peeling The stationary blades are pressed against surface of Totating fruits e vegetables to remove the skin. Alternatively blades may be rotated againy stationary foods. This method is particularly suitable for citrus where skint easily removed and there is little damage or loss of fruit. Abrasion peeling Food is fed onto carborundum rollers or placed into a rotating bowl, which is lined with carborundum (an abrasive material). Abrasive surface Temoves the skin and it is washed away by a continuous supply of water. Advantages of the method include low energy costs as the process operates at rem temperature, low capital costs and a good surface appearance of food. Irregular Product surfaces (for example ‘eyes’ on potatoes) may spoil the appearance of peeled product and require hand finishing. Limitations of the method are a higher product loss than flash peeling (25% compared with 8-18% loss, for vegetables), production of large volumes of dilute waste which are difficult to dispose off and relatively low throughputs. Flame peeling This type of peeling is mostly used for onions. Peeler consists of a conveyor belt which carries and rotates f ‘ood through a furnace heated to higher than 000°C. The outer layer and root hairs are burned off, and charred skin is yemoved by high-pressure water sprays. In this method the average product losses are estimated to be 10%. Flash steam peeling ta clits / vegetables are fed in batches into a pressure vessel, which isrotated at £Srev min High-pressure steam at 1500 kPa is introduced and oe ich differs ovat Steam by rotation of vessel for a pre-determined ti Which differs according to type of fruit High temperatures cause rapid heating of surface but low thermal conde Penetration, and t ctivity of product prevents further he Product is not c Preserved. Pressure is then et Cooked. Texture and colour are ther len i dee nd ce fod ache ff My Gana ae kas plo a and water sprays are needed only to remove ae water consumption, moire Peet gaining in popularity owing tO" surface, a high throug nem Product loss, good appearance of ol of Peeling cycle and pees Pet (UP to 4500 kg hh} with betomatic cont Production of a more easily disposable concentrated “*ee getables . goers and Ve‘ TiS ing, fruits passed through a1 to 2% dilute lye solution (solution eR, etc). Lye solution ‘etneated to 100 to 120°C. This procest of NOP ‘and skin is then removed by high-pressure water SprayS- Product Sens a order of 17%. Although once popular for root crops, this in colour of some products and incurs higher costs. It are ss causes change mee argely Tel laced by steam or flash peeling. A development of lye peeling isow are caustic peeling- Food is dipped in 10% sodium hydroxide and ned ski is removed with rubber discs or rollers. This reduces both water wiption and product losses. icing / Dicing Many fruits/ vegetables are not packed in same Further, some fruits/ vegetables require these unit operations rocessing: There are many types of machines available to car reduction, ‘although, most can be categorized as slicer and dicers. Processing industry relies on @ few general shapes, which are either slices straight, slices wrinkle cut, strips straight and wrinkle cut or dice. Fruits and vegetables have an inherently firmer texture and are cut at ambient or chilled temperatures. In slicing process, rotating or reciprocating findes eut the commodity into slices as it passes ‘beneath these blades (Figure 641), In some cases, fruit is held against blades by centrifugal force. Harder fruits such as apples are simultaneously sliced and de-cored as they are forced over stationary knives fitted inside a tube. In dicing process, sliced fruit or vegetable is cut into cubes. Here the food is re fed to a second set ty rotating blades. Strips ai operate at right angles to first set and cut strips into cubes. ye Pe In formas they are harvested. prior to main ry out size Figure 6.1: Slicing equipmentPost Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops oo ew innovation where the vegetable/ fruit re water ‘The pressures can be upto 300,009 m of water through a sapphire orifice with a peed ‘of sound. The cut from these knives ig | of d shar ‘After the vegetable ig cut into slices or dice vetsemely accurate a8 & P. serial which needs t0 be removed. These are there is alway oe uae Tegetables ‘which have not taken squared shape. pieces from 1 un ed livers se ubbins and is removed OF vibratory grading rial ki aa e Sch pote, these are effectively utilized for starch production. lanchin: B ne is a thermal process most often associated with solid food commodities such as fraits and vegetables. It is defined as a heat treatment given to plant_ material for inactivating enzymes and killing plant tis sues to Prevent enzymatic and microbial deteriora0* Importance of blanching in enzyme inactivation is different for different commodities and depends on shelf-life expectations. For refrigerated and frozen foods, enzyme inactivation is critical since many enzymes in fruits and vegetables remain active and cause product quality deterioration even at reduced temperatures associated with refrigerated food and frozen-food storage. Blanching is required prior to dehydration of many commodities, since temperatures associated with dehydration are insufficient to inactivate enzymes within the product, and enzyme activity is not controlled by reduced moisture content. It prevents discoloration, softening and off flavour development during subsequent storage. Blanching also has an additional cleaning effect and reduces microbiological load d i the vegetable. Blanching has other advantay gical load of vegetative cells on procesingof vegetables, Vegetables for es depending upon method of uth the vegetable to obtain correct fil for canning are blanched mainly toshr ct fill weight in ‘can and to remove gas 10" intercellular sj it paces which i intercellular spaces which would otherwise cause oxidation of product Faneg of can and low can vacuum. If there is a long delay between can important, na! Processing then inactivation of conymes will also be Factors i i : - influencing blanching pro mmercial blanch eee coed anching Process heats and cooling is used to mi a few frui i ‘its and vegetables, iz oe of tissue due to thermal damag' op required textners OW temperature blanching treal ae : ossible d thy al vegetable as quickly a5 PO Mini faPidly cools it to ambient, Rapid heats Fe. is given to devel e One of the key factors th article, wath ; particle. Temperature tise at contencn®s blanching process is size Of prc center of a small product particle will aeS ts and Vegetables 95 posing ETH ig than in a larger product particle, A similar factor influencing ore rapid Ture rise of particle center is shape of particle. Another factor rate of (MP eof temperature rise at particle center is convective heat transfer ine This factor is influenced by heating medium and duration of coeffic " process: Methods of blanching in general, blanching of various food commodities is accomplished using two different types of heating media, Several types of blanching systems utilize fotwater as the heating medium for blanching, while other systems use steam as heating medium. A third type of system utilizes both hot water and steam. twill be evident that type of heating medium used depends primarily on type of commodity to be incorporated into the system. Various blanching methods include water blanching, steam blanching, vacuum steam blanching, incan blanching, microwave blanching and hot gas blanching. Hot water blanching This is the traditional form of blanching which involves the product being held in hot water (85-100 °C) until the enzymes are inactivated, and then water cooled. The most common form of machinery for water blanching is the reel blancher, which is also known as rotary hot water system (Figure 6.2). Product out Figure 6.2 Schematic of rotary hot water blanching system Hi and is ima Product is introduced into one component of a barrel structure then lifted fro ‘ately immersed in hot water for a specific period of time. It is Water temperate wet and removed from compartment. By maintaining hot metha iscn, aa at desired level and controlling rotation speed of rotary deel pas ia on temperature exposure of product is established and Prog Sane ml trum blanching system, product moves in longitudinal UCt to move f Ting rotation. Adjustment of slope of rotating drum causes rom inlet location to exit location in a specific period of oxPost Harvest Technology of Horticultura, ee ure to hot water in lower d length of expost L time and with desire: Por rotary-drum system. tunnel type system (Figure 6.3). tn thy, dina el e . ae Sa peat sprayed over the product at various blanching system, ting, holding, and cooling as the prod arried on a conveyor es . iveyor i Lins e product is ci n G Heed fae product is ex] fe initially to a pre-heat section. Then the tunnel. Here throu, Product i i for an establisheq red blanching temperature is sprayed with hot ak ones stage, product passes through 8 Precol ee ae ing stage. In the same manner anchicy Sand) isl tfial Sree eapeanites required for blanching ae sy enplished by control of water temperatures and by control of exposure accom ame. In case of tunnel-type system, time is controlled very specifically by time. speed of conveyor through tunnel. eS a = = aS ~ Figure.6.3. Schematic of counter current hot water blanching Steam blanching Steam blanchers usuall ly incorporate tunnels with product conveyors (Figure 6.4). The concept involves ex ‘posing product particles to a steam Environment for a specified period of time, based on conveyor speed. Considerable attention must be given to density of product on conveyor in order to maintain exposure of product surface area to steam for maximal time Period. In this system, product is introduced into water tank, and 4 the po ofts the product from water tank into steam envireranent and ae the product to. opposite end where it is cooled in atmospheric air or in a" Heaney hiding component of system. The main advantage of steal! Is Te i is i ro" retention of ru ae of solutes from vegetable. This imp! teduces effluent from. blanching operatio™ which « ae i a steam 1 are generally beings 1 7 mesh belt travelling through-~ ruits and Vegetables of F pots a f. Ff this is modified by making product ent ode system. Removable cover is a al cae a plancher to be easily cleaned, oil Iso Water 5 discharge thr midanichth Steaming zone Product —_ = Sy. Belt conveyor = C+) Figure 64 Schematic of steam blanching system Cooling zone Blanchers with steam and water system A blanching system that utilizes both steam and water has three stages of heating to achieve maximum control. Product is first conveyed through steam to provide rapid temperature increase. In second stage, hot water sprays provide constant contact between hot water and product to maximize heat : transfer. Third stage of blanching system is immersion, with the conveyor . canying product below water level and ensuring direct heat transfer between heated water and individual product particles. Two less frequently used Yanching systems are pipe blancher and fluidised bed blanching systems. Pipe blancher _ Pipe blancher is a system using hot water; product particles are introduced ana, Steam of water within a pipe, while the heating medium flows from bed to exit. Blanching temperatures are established by temperature of late. Blanching time is controlled by flow rate of water and length of Ske. In most cases, steam is injected into pipe at several points in heating par Advantage of this continuous system is that temperatures above 100 achieved to speed up rehydration process. A Midised be blanching i i der steam Mri. es te™ Works on the principle of fluidisation of particles under ste tied bed Daas ees uses a mixture of steam and. - aati _ Steamy Uh product carried on a conveyor. In these ose aan Se i" “ater thay ture is sufficient to lift product from conveying * increases efficiency of heating.98 EES Post Harvest Technology of Horticultura, ral Cr, \ Blanche Product Figure 65. A typical IQB steam blancher Individual quick blanching In this system, pieces of vegetables are spread in a thin layer ona rapidly moving mesh belt passing through a steam chest (Figure 6.5). Because there is only a single layer of vegetable, the heating is unobstructed and therefore rapid compared to other systems where a bed of vegetable pieces in several layers thick is heated. Pieces are only steam heated long enough to inactivate enzymes half way to centre of the piece. Pieces are then deposited on toa slower moving belt where thicker bed of vegetable is allowed to thermally equilibrate before cooling. In first stage, heating utilizes either steam or water as a heating medium. A thin layer of product on a conveyor is typically used to ensure rapid heating In the second stage, the product is held at a constant temperature in an insulated environment. During this stage, the product particles are brought into close proximity to encourage heat exchange and uniformity of temperature. After holding, third stage of system is rapid cooling, whe'* product particles are separated to encourage a rapid temperature drop; general, IQB is intended to increase uniformity of heating of prodt-t while oe over heating of certain portions of product particles. In addition ed aie ee efficient use of heating medium and tends to reduc A vibratory product transi 3 : . chet This blancher Garces gramsmission system is used in another 1Q8 blan ‘ Tu ° product downa spiral vib veyorin o piral vibratory convey’ Brenan and then holds the vegetable in an insulated ‘adrabatic holder 2 blanching is completed. The vegetable is then passed to another spi! vib conveyor where its air cooled. A novel feature of this blanche is the ee condensate from steam section is : of Condensate from seam section into the ir stream of coOling ® cool the prod: 6 Sintual * effluent being produced from blanching pentonag of Fruits and Vegel ee gg ssi" rors n steam blanching eee uum steam blanching is carried out in an end-over-end conical Vee ker Vegetables are loaded into cooker anda slow rotation started jacket jure is reduced to about 10 kPa. Vacuum is broken with saturated as pretd the vessel brought to atmospheric pressure, which is held for about an ute. Vegetables are then vacuum cooled by again reducing pressure one Geel. The liquid in vessel flash boils under reduced pressure cooling the vessel: 7 retables. e advantage of vacuum steam blanching is the rapid heating of vegetables ycondensation of steam and hence liberation of latent heat of condensation it the tissue. Because for the high temperature short time blanching, this roduces firmer textured blanched vegetables, resulting in superior frozen roducts. System is energy and effluent efficient. This type of blanching is aso used commercially in mushroom industry where the shrinkage of blanched mushroom is not as great as with water blanching. System is, however, only a batch operation and a good vacuum pump is required to achieve low pressure. vacua In-can blanching In this method, can is overfilled with washed material and then fill the can with near boiling water. A jet of near boiling water is used to swirl the material around the can to give good heat transfer. After about 30 sec, the fruit had shrunk to fill the can and sufficient gas had been removed to give an adequate vacuum for canning. This process has not been used commercially, however it is tried for vegetable like peas. In another method, raw vegetable is filled into a can and can lid clinched after adding a small amount of brine (50 ml for a 400g can). The can in upright ee is passed on a conveyor over a ribbon burner. The brine is boiled, ca icing the air in the can with steam and blanching the vegetable. The presi? Seamed and thermally processed. Pressure in can after this of blanche 28 20-25 kPa giving a good vacuum-packed product. This method at mg is easily adapted to conventional Processing lines and will move ae le canning speeds. Advantages of vacuum packing by this atten fn Dlanching effluent and a considerable reduction in leaching of ‘Om vegetables to the reduced volume of canning brine. Moca blanching 86 Of oni S¥stem isn, auictowaves is tried as an alternate to blanch vegetables. This is no gutSally used for blanching of com, potatoes and fruits. However, toed work ame 7cial plant, initiated with microwave power. Results of ‘Wantigy i fer widely, mainly because microwave effect is not as easy methods using a tank of boiling water or a steam cabinet.t Harvest Technology oy i 100 Post Harves BY of Horticultural Cop, in Het ga bench it vegetables are heated with a mixture of steam ang - 7 natural gas burners. Advantage of the system is to reduce . gases an However, an appreciable reduction in yield was Noticed, which ore Gate licltes for counmertial Soceplance of systems Determination of blanching process Enzymes that are the most heat resistant and can be used as indicators for adequate blanching of vegetables are peroxidase and catalase. Researcher? have already investigated blanching indicator enzymes for frozen vepetaia production. It is reported that the inactivation of catalase required only 50. 70 % of heat treatment required to inactivate peroxidase. Another simple test is done by applying two to three drops of hydrogen peroxide on lye blanched ‘material. Presence of peroxidase will change the colourless hydrogen peroxide solution to pink colour. As described earlier, the typical minimum time/teny for blanching are based on inactivation of enz; Due to variety of fruits and vegetables and different enzyme systems within these Products, blanching processes are quite variable in requirements, The impact of thermal energy on enzymes has been expressed in terms of decimal reduction times (D) and thermal resistance constants (2) for many enzyme systems. For example, peroxidase has D,,, equal to 3 minutes and 2 equal to 37.2°C. Based on these thermal resistant characteristics, a reduction of enzyme activity to 0.01% would tequire 12 minutes at 121°C. Obviously, this Tequirement would be difficult to a iccomplish at atmospheric pressure conditions since 121°C is well above blanchin, f boiling point of water. In most cases, 8 '6 accomplished using water at near its boiling point of 100°C or at steam-produced atmospheric Pressure at 100°C. To achieve the process described for peroxidase, a time in e Xcess of 12 minutes would be required. Nutritional quali ty of blanched product ox nea ments lke blanching do cause reductionin quality attributes and the ac, Ht must be emphasized tears process is relatively mild, More the tos ® Small when compared to more severe thermal processes: enzyme react te More will be educa e microbial population oF then is a compro nd lengthen product sheit life. Selection of the proces rocco ns Nee” oss of quality atirite et rane with more severe process as against extension of shelf life. Impact of blanching prog e88 On nutrie; on a variety of factors such s. Pa Maturj Product. In addition, ratio of surfa eat and i Hi € area to influence nutrient retention as Wellas perature relationships ymes within the product. fruits and vegetables epee Pre-blanching preparati volume for individual pieces in 'YPe of medium used for product he#101 uh and Vegetables ng tae proce : uence of blanching process on colour and flavour is similar 5.0 pH): eg Peas, cauliflower, potato, french bean, spinach, etc, * Medium acid( 4.5 to 5.0 pH) : eg: Tumip, carrot, cabbage, green bea okra, etc. * Acid (3.7 to 4.5 pH): eg : Tomato, pear, banana, mang? ‘ Pineapple, apple, and other fruits * High acid( < 3.7 pH) eg : Citrus juice, sauerkraut, pickle chutney etc, pH lve tan ea sonot Brow below pH.4.5. Thus, a canned productha¥itf above 45 re ow PH4.5. th pl k Fincessed in boiling water but a product with F, kg/cm? It one Pees at 115 to 121% under a pressure of 0.70 eee ential that the center of can should attain thes As explained earlier, tem i i with ‘ Laretature and time of processing vary cessint ofan and nature of food. Larger the cq greater is processing ime. POs may be carried out in batch or Continuous retorts, later being equiPPe Post Harvest Technology of Horta = ral—_—_ sits and Vegetables os pr of Fr jy constructed ports or hydrostatic seals, through which the containers ecill Seave the pressure Zone. In both batch and continuous retorts, er ae ay be stationary throughout the process, or they may be moved conta ee ‘dto speed up penetration of heat into and out of container. Fruits of ae vegetables are usually processed in open type cookers, continuous and acl fing cookers and continuous agitating cookers, while vegetables are one ‘under steam pressure in closed retorts. pr coolin Coot. processing, cans are cooled rapidly to about 39°C to stop cooking ss and to prevent stack- burning. Cooling can be done by dipping or g hot cans in tanks containing cold water, by letting cold water into ressure cooker, spraying cans with cold water and exposing cans to air. Usually cans are dipped into cold water. If canned products are not cooled immediately after processing, some of the products (pear, peaches, tomato) become darker and some other may lose their taste and texture. aces jmmersiny Storage ‘Although canned foods are one of the most stable food products, organoleptic and nutrient changes occur during storage. Extent and rate of these changes depend upon temperature of storage, nature of packing, product characteristics and time extent and severity of heat treatment, which applied to effect sterilisation. After labelling cans, they should be placed in strong wooden cases or corrugated card board cartons and stored in a cool and dry place. Storage of cans at high temperature should be avoided as it shortens shelf life of product and often leads to formation of hydrogen swell. Nutrient retention during canning Nutrient losses appeared to be quite significant in canning process. However, comparisons made against raw produce from retail outlets and Prepared at home or catering establishments in usual manner do not always {uPport this belief. Differences in cultivars and loss of vitamins during fansportation and storage could account for these findings. The vitamin losses occur during commercial processing, very oftenin blanching as well as during z = Processing. Beta carotene (Pro vitamin A) is relatively stable due to ower nature stability and insolubility in water and survives canning process. Wenseras vitamin B, is heat sensible and losses occur during thermal eg ee Similar is the fate of riboflavin and niacin. Vitamin C is relatively evel of a heat, oxygen and light and is water soluble. Blanching reduces immediay tamin C by 25-35 % and there is a further loss during and head ae after canning, as oxygen from dissolved gases and from ce is absorbed.