Abstract
In this study, the effects of different freezing rates on some physical and chemical quality properties of cherry tomatoes were investigated. Cherry tomatoes were frozen slowly at -18°C at the freezer section of the home type refrigerator and quickly at -30°C in the modified freezer cabinet which is capable of blowing air at a speed of 1.2 m/s at -30°C, designed and produced by Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH (Çerkezköy, Turkey). The freezing rates were calculated on the bulk basis of the samples in the middle, bottom and top positions. The freezing rate in the middle for -30°C found as 1.55±0.16 (cm/h) which was slow freezing and 0.11±0.01 (cm/h) for -18°C between 4 and -15ᵒC which was in the range of quick freezing. Drip loss, total dry matter content, total soluble solid content (ᵒBrix), color values, pH, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content, titration acidity and lycopene were investigated for cherry tomatoes frozen at different rates. Drip loss values were 11.01 ± 0.21% for quick frozen cherry tomato samples and 19.95 ± 0.44% for slow-frozen samples. The decrease in ᵒBrix value of slow frozen sample was more than quick frozen samples. Brightness and a/b values of the quick frozen tomatoes were better compared to the slow frozen ones. Ascorbic, phenolic and lycopene contents were found higher in quick frozen sample.
Highlights
Fruits and vegetables contain approximately 95% of water
The rates were calculated taking into account the measurements of the length-cut piece of a cherry tomato
The average rate of freezing for the cherry tomato samples were given in Table 2 and Table 3
Summary
Fruits and vegetables contain approximately 95% of water. Because of the high level of water content, the rate of degradation reactions in fruits and vegetables is high. This situation increases the significance of preservation techniques (Demiray and Tülek, 2010). Freezing is one of the oldest and most common methods for long-term preservation of food samples especially for the fruits and vegetables. Nutrient losses can be kept to a minimum level as 1-3% by freeze storage technique and they are converted into standard and easy to prepare products which can be consumed every season (Karabağlı and Alpkent, 1998; Anonymous, 2009)
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