Influence of some browning treatments on the quality of the apple Bruckner do Brasil processed by freezing and freeze drying

Abstract

The present paper deals with the study of three browning treatments (blanching, ascorbic acid and SO2) and their influence on the quality of frozen and freeze-dried apple slices of the variety Bruckner do Brasil. Immediately upon arrival, one third of the fruits was processed. Another third was held in storage at 1°C for three weeks and the remainder was left under the same conditions for six weeks, being both immediately processed after their respective storage time. For freezing, blanching was the best browning treatment for all attributes of quality, except for color, in which the SO2 and the ascorbic acid were more efficient. In terms of overall quality the ascorbic acid was slightly superior to SO2. For freeze - drying, the SO2 was in general the best treatment. However, none of the treatments controlled the browning of the freeze-dried product efficiently.