104C-13 |
Impregnation properties of jalapeño pepper |
H. MÚJICA-PAZ1, L. D. Argüelles-Piña2, L. D. Verdín-Domínguez2, J. Welti-Chanes3, A. López-Malo3, and A. Valdez-Fragoso4. (1) Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Av. Universidad S/N, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, 31170, Mexico, (2) Mexico, (3) Depto. de Ingeniería Química y Alimentos, Univ. de las Americas-Puebla, Sta. Catarina Mártir, Cholula, Puebla, 72820, Mexico, (4) Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Ciudad Universitaria, Chihuahua, 31170, Mexico The traditional pickling process of jalapeño pepper is carried out at atmospheric pressure. Brines containing the pickling solutes may be incorporated into the pepper matrix through vacuum impregnation (VI) for improving mass penetration and shortening processing time. An accurate application of VI requires the knowledge of the impregnation properties and the effect of operating conditions. The first objective was to determine the effect of vacuum pressure, vacuum application time, and relaxation time on the volume of isotonic brine impregnated in the tissue of jalapeño pepper (X). The second objective was to calculate the effective porosity of the jalapeño pepper at different VI conditions. Whole jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum L.cv. Tula) were immersed in vacuum chambers containing isotonic solution (IS) of sodium chloride (aw=0.972) at ambient temperature (23 ºC). A vegetable:brine ratio of 1:10 was used. A Box-Behnken factorial design was applied to conduct impregnation experiments with three vacuum pressure levels (0, 330, and 659 mbar), three vacuum application times (3, 31 and 60 min), and three relaxation times (3, 61 and 120 min), including five replicates at the centre point. IS impregnation was measured by observing changes in pepper weight. Analysis of variance showed that the second order model is well adjusted to the experimental data (R2=0.981). The vacuum pressure and the interaction vacuum application time–relaxation time significantly affected the X of jalapeño pepper (p£0.05). Effective porosity of jalapeño pepper was found to be 11.6 % on average. High impregnation of IS (X=0.12) was achieved at a vacuum pressure of 659 mbar, impregnation time of 3 min, and relaxation time of 120 min. These operating conditions should be tested with hypertonic solutions of pickling solutes.
Session 104C, Fruit & Vegetable Products: Vegetables (Processed)
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