Material properties of processed fruit and vegetables

Abstract

Using apple mash prepared from apple parenchyma, the effect of the processing steps of cold and warm water treatment, respectively, on structure and material properties of treated mashes, as well as dried and rehydrated materials with cellular structure (MCS), compared to alcohol-insoluble substance (AIS), were investigated. Cold water treatment gives rise to pectin-enriched, relatively large and mechanically stable cell clusters which show good elastic and solid-state properties in aqueous dispersions. However, warm water treatment effects a thermal hydrolytic degradation of pectin in the MCS whereby the mechanical cell separation is simplified and reduced structural stability of the dispersions can be observed. AIS contains the biggest particles and best material properties in comparison to MCS. The connection between structural parameters which are affected by processing and material properties, in addition to the importance of AIS and MCS, respectively, as model substrates, are discussed.