Fruit Manufacturing: Scientific basis, engineering properties and deteriorative reactions of technological importance

Abstract

The fruit processing industry is one of the major businesses in the entire world. While basic principles of fruit processing have shown only minor changes over the last years, major improvements continually occur and more efficient equipment is capable of converting huge quantities of fruits in pulp, juice, dehydrated, frozen and refrigerated products, etc. which make possible the preservation of products for year-round consumption. The fruit processing and storage, even under the most industrially available “mild conditions”, involves physical and chemical changes that negatively modify the quality. These negative or deteriorative changes include enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning, off-flavor, discoloration, shrinking, case hardening and some others chemical, thermo-physical and rheological alterations, which modify the nutritive value and original taste, color and appearance of fruits. The ability of the industry to provide a nutritious and healthful fruit product to the consumer is highly dependent on the knowledge of the quality modifications which occurs during the processing.This book emphasizes the products rather than the processes, procedures or plant operations. In it, the influence in fruit products quality of the different processing methods, from freezing to high temperature techniques, is presented. Origin of deterioration, kinetics of negative reactions, and methods for inhibition and control of the same are discussed. Probable changes in thermodynamical, thermophysical and rheological properties and parameters during processing of fruits at a wide range of soluble solids, temperatures and pressure are also summarized. This book is intended to provide the engineer and professionals mainly involved in development and operations in the fruit industry, with the necessary information for the understanding of the deteriorative effects on the fruit quality during processing.