Study on Effects of Freeze Drying of Cooked

Okra and Banana Pseudo Stem Dish

A PROJECT PROPOSAL OF

The proposed research work to be undertaken in partial fulfilment of the

requirement for the degree of

Master of Technology
Submitted to Dr. Humeera Tazeen
School of Engineering and Technology
Jain University
Bangalore

By
Afia Sayeed
Dept of Food Technology
USN No.17MTRFT029

Major Advisor
Dr.Humeera Tazeen
Asst. Professor
School of Engineering and Technology
Jain University
Bangalore

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 SYNOPSIS OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN
PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY

SUBMITTED TO: SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, JAIN

UNIVERSITY

Name of the scholar : Afia Sayeed

Class & Discipline of the Scholar : M.tech final year (4th sem)

Name of the Major Advisor : Dr. Humeera Tazeen

Topic of thesis of the Scholar : Study on effects of freeze drying of cooked okra and banana
pseudo stem dish

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Objectives of the proposed research work:

1. To optimise the freezing time and temperature of freeze drying process.

2. To analyze physicochemical properties freshly prepared products such as okra and banana
pseudo stem sauté and compare it with the physicochemical properties of the same products
after freeze drying and rehydrating.

3. To determine effects of vacuum packaging and storage on shelf life of freeze dried sample

4. To estimate the rehydration ratio and rate of rehydration of the freeze dried product

5. To perform sensory evaluation of the product and estimate the cost of the process

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INTRODUCTION
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) belonging to the mallow family Malvaceae, is a kind of one
year herbage plant, which is one of the most important vegetables widely grow in tropical and
subtropical countries for its fibrous pods full of round and young leaves. Okra can be consumed as
a fresh vegetable, cooked vegetable or an additive for soups, dairy products and beverage. In
recent years, it is widely cultivated in north and south China because of its high functional
ingredients. It is a major source of okra-Pepsin-E3 which enhances proper digestion, absorption
and assimilation. In addition, it is also an important source of vitamin C, vitamin A, dietary fiber,
calcium and is low in saturated fat, which play a vital role in human diet. However, fresh
harvested okra is susceptible to rapid deterioration because of its high moisture content of 88-90%
wet basis and respiration rate. At this moisture content, the quality of okra after harvest can’t be
retained for more than a week. The safe moisture content for storage of okra has been reported as
10%.
Banana, which belongs to the Musaceae family, is native to the Indonesian–Malaysian region of
Asia. Bananas are produced in large quantities in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the
world. The crop is of major importance to the people living in the areas in which it grows because
it provides a major portion of their annual income and is a primary source of food. Today, bananas
are the fourth most widespread fruit crop in the world. Annually, about 72.5 million tons of
bananas are produced worldwide. Banana waste materials are rich in minerals and nutrients.
Recently, some studies on the banana pseudo-stem have been reported, focusing on the chemical
contents, such as monosaccharides, fibre composition and mineral contents. However, to our
knowledge, there still is a lack of knowledge regarding the proximate composition, dietary fibre
contents and antioxidant properties of the banana pseudo-stem. The tender core of the banana
pseudo-stem is located in the centre (core) of the banana stem and is tube-like, with a diameter of
approximately 5–6 cm. The tender core is edible and is consumed in many parts of India and
Malaysia, it is commonly boiled before cooking so as to soften the texture of the stem.

Drying of vegetables and fruit is one of the oldest forms of food preservation method known to
man and is the most important process to preserve food due to its great effect on the quality of the
dried products. The major objective in drying agricultural products is the reduction of the moisture
content to a level, which allows safe storage over an extended period. Up to now, many methods
have been used successfully to dry different food materials, but each drying technique has its own
advantages and drawbacks.

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Conventional drying methods, such as sun drying, hot air drying, vacuum drying, result in low
drying rates, especially in the falling rate period of drying. In addition to these problems, the
conventional drying methods also have drawbacks of high energy requirements, loss of color and
nutritional properties due to longer exposure to heat and cause hardening of the surface.
Compared to the above-mentioned methods, freeze drying is a particular method. Through it is a
time-consuming and high energy-consuming process, it can maximally preserve the original
properties such as hydration, flavor, activity and the shape wanted. So the freeze drying method is
widely used for high-value products. In order to address the limitations of conventional drying
methods, new drying methods and dryers have been developed and investigated widely in last few
decades.
Freeze drying is one of the dehydration methods, that is reported to be a gentle technique which
retains the biological value of raw materials, their structure, flavour, aroma and colour, and its
final product can be reconstituted easily by simple addition of liquid. It is a low-temperature
process which minimizes chemical alteration or food degradation that occurs during dehydration
of food products. Freeze drying has been rated as the best preservation method over other
dehydration methods such as air or drum drying and has received utmost attention by many
researchers.

JUSTIFICATION:
Freeze dried meals have increase demand in the present-day food trend, as these have no extra
chemical preservatives added, and also have only a minuscule difference in nutritional
composition with respect to freshly prepared meal. They also retain the enzymatic activities which
otherwise are disrupted by heat treatment methods. They can be preserved for a longer duration
than any other method provided that it is kept in vacuum and constant temperature. They are easy
to rehydrate and can serve as ready to cook meals.

Freeze dried meals in today’s markets are limited to raw vegetables, noodles, soups, curries and
pharmaceutical products. Freeze drying of cooked product like a vegetable sauté is yet to be
marketed. Hence this study will be the comparison between physicochemical properties of freshly
prepared meal and physiochemical properties of freeze dried and rehydrated meal.

Also, the physical properties of freeze dried products, its packaging, and storage conditions shall
be established in this research work.

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REVIEW of LITERATURE

1 Qian Liu, Xiao-Na Guo, 2018 The effects of frozen storage
Ke-Xue Zhu on the quality of frozen
cooked noodles were
investigated.
2 Pinki Pal, A.K. Singh, 2017 Study of Biochemical
Dipti Kumari, Rahul Changes
Rahul, J.P. Pandey on Freeze-Dried and
and Gautam Sen Conventionally
Dried White Button
Mushroom
as a Sustainable Method of
Food
Preservation
3 George ninan, AA 2011 Five varieties of Freeze dried
Zynudheen, fish balls were analysed for
M.Regina,AC Joseph antioxidant activity, color,
FFA content etc.
4 Jiapeng Huang & Min 2015 Drying of okra by various
Zhang methods and comparing their
physicochemical properties.
1957 Determination Of Protein By
5 STONE,W.,& Direct Nesslerization Of
HOLMES, A. Kjeldahl Digests
6 AOAC official method 1995 Proximate analysis of the
of analysis sample
7 Official methods of 1997 Proximate analysis of the
analysis of AOAC sample
Texture analysis showed
hardness and tensile force
reduced during frozen storage.
An increasing cooking loss and
a decreasing water uptake ratio
were determined when testing
cooking qualities
The quality and nutritional
content of freeze-dried
mushrooms was found to be
much desirable in comparison to
oven-dried mushrooms.
Superiority of the product was
found to be the best in terms of
its colour, flavour, texture,
shape, rehydration
property and storage stability,
etc.
Due to moisture absorption
during storage the fried fish
balls were soggy and not crispy
when rehydrated.
color (L*, a* and b*), texture
(hardness and fracturability),
shrinkage ratio, nutrient
retention (chlorophyll,
flavonoids and vitamin C) and
sensory score were investigated.
5Vacuum freeze drying
maximally preserved the
original properties of samples
Procedure for determining the
protein content.
Estimate the nutritional values
of the sample
Estimate the nutritional values
of the sample

1997 Proximate analysis of the Estimate the nutritional values

8 Official methods of sample of the sample
Analysis of the
association of official
analytical
chemists.AOAC
9 Bhaskar, Chilkunda, N., 2011 Banana (Musa sp. var. elakki Study on Dietary Fiber of
& Salimath, P. bale) Flower and Pseudostem: banana pseudo stem yield
Dietary Fiber and Associated obtained was 5.74g/100g
Antioxidant Capacity

6
 Bhaskar, J., Shobha, M., 2011 Beneficial effects of banana It was shown that
10 Sambaiah, K., & (Musa sp. var. elakki bale) banana pseudostem is a rich
Salimath, P. flower and pseudostem on source of dietary fibre,
hyperglycemia and advanced unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin
glycation end-products E, total saponins, and flavonoids
(AGEs) in streptozotocin- & also polyphenol rich dietary
induced diabetic rats. fibres

Noor Aziah Abdul Aziz, 2011 chemical composition and The levels of total dietary fibre,
11 Lee-Hoon Ho , Baharin functional profiles of native insoluble dietary fibre, lignin,
Azahari , Rajeev Bhat , banana pseudo-stem flour and hemicellulose and cellulose
Lai-Hoong Cheng , boiled tender core of the were all high
Mohamad Nasir, banana pseudo-stem flour
Mohamad Ibrahim moisture, fat, protein and ash
analysis

12 Raji Akeem Olayemi, 2018 Freeze drying of various types Freeze dried soups nutrient
Akinoso Rahman, Sani of soups, and analysis of quality, stability and their
Maimuna and Raji physic chemical properties of sensory attributes cannot be
Monsurat Oyewale each soup. guaranteed after two months of
storage,
and concurrent reduction in
sensory properties and nutrient
quality of
the soups. It is recommended
that laminated packages should
be used for the freeze dried
soups in order to limit the effect
of
ambient storage on their quality
attributes and also extend the
shelf life of the products.

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METHODOLOGY
Raw-Materials required:
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), tomato (Tuta absoluta), onion (Allium cepa), Banana pseudostem
(Musa paradisiacal), oil, turmeric powder, chilli powder, curry leaves, salt, mustard.
Materials required:
Beakers, Conical Flask, Test tubes, Trays, Soxhlet Apparatus, Hot Air Oven, Incubator, Kjedhal
Apparatus , Colorimeter , Mass Spectrometer, Incubator Shaker , Cooling Centrifuge, Muffle
Furnace, Freeze Dryer and its Equipments, Vacuum Packaging Device, Vacuum Pouches.
Chemicals required:
Potassium sulphate(K2SO4), copper sulphate(CuSO4), sulphuric Acid(H2SO4), sodium
hydroxide(NaOH), hydrochloric acid(HCl), boric acid(H3BO3), methyl red indicator, bromocerol
green indicator, n hexane(C6H14), redistilled phenol(C6H5OH), glucose(C6H12O6),
ethanol(C2H5OH), sodium carbonate(Na2CO3).

The main objective of the study is to analyze physicochemical properties freshly prepared
products such as okra and banana pseudo stem sauté and compare it with the
physicochemical properties of the same products after freeze drying and rehydrating.
Properties Methodology
Moisture content AOAC official method
Ash content AOAC official method
Protein AOAC official method
Fat AOAC official method

pH pH meter
Total carbohydrate AOAC official method
Ascorbic Acid AOAC official method
Fiber AOAC official method
Color Colorimeter
Sensory evalution 9 point hedonic scale

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To establish optimum parameters for freeze drying of the products this can be helpful in further
research.
 Preparation of products

Cleaning of okra and banana pseudo stem.

Blanching of raw materials

Cutting of raw mareials into desired size

Heating of oil for tempering

Addition of raw materials and spices according to formulated recipe

The prepared food is cooled to room temperature.

 Physicochemical analysis of prepared products

 Freeze drying of product

1. The product is spread into plates of the freeze dryer and is dried at various combinations of
temperature and time, and an optimum time and temperature is derived for freeze drying of
the product.

2. The product is then freeze dried using optimum parameters and is analysed with the ten
physic chemical tests mentioned above.

3. The freeze dried product is also subjected to other tests to determine its bulk density, true
density, and porosity.

 Packaging

The freeze dried product is then packaged in vaccum pouches, using a vacuum packager. It
is labelled and stored in optimum storage conditions.

 Rehydration

1. The packed product is taken out and is rehydrated by boiling the content of the
packet in water.

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 2. The rehydration ratio and rate of rehydration of the freeze dried sample is
calculated.

3. In addition to this the ten physicochemical tested are performed on the rehydrated
sample and results are compared.

POSSIBLE OUTCOME:
1. The products can emerge as ready to cook products in the market in future.
2. The temperature and time for freeze drying of cooked meals can be optimized.
3. Comparison of physicochemical properties of freshly prepared, freeze dried and rehydrated
samples of same product can be obtained.
4. Type of Packaging material to be used, type of packaging method to be used, and storage
conditions of packed food can be determined.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

References
1. Huang, J., & Zhang, M. (2015). Effect of three drying methods on the drying characteristics
and quality of okra. Drying Technology, 34(8), 900-911. doi: 10.1080/07373937.2015.1086367
2. Raji, A., Akinoso, R., Aruna, T., & Raji, M. (2016). Reconstitution potentials and moisture
sorption isotherms of selected freeze dried Nigerian soups. Journal Of Food Process
Engineering, 40(4), e12516. doi: 10.1111/jfpe.12516
3. Liu, Q., Guo, X., & Zhu, K. (2019). Effects of frozen storage on the quality characteristics of
frozen cooked noodles. Food Chemistry, 283, 522-529. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.01.068
4. Study of Biochemical Changes on Freeze-Dried and Conventionally Dried White Button
Mushroom as a Sustainable Method of Food Preservation. (2019).
5. Wood, A., & Legendre, R. (1969). Quality Evaluations of Freeze-Dried Cod Steaks. Journal Of
The Fisheries Research Board Of Canada, 26(12), 3271-3274. doi: 10.1139/f69-315
6. Nielsen, S. (2017). Food Analysis. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
7. Aziz, N., Ho, L., Azahari, B., Bhat, R., Cheng, L., & Ibrahim, M. (2011). Chemical and
functional properties of the native banana (Musa acuminata×balbisiana Colla cv. Awak)
pseudo-stem and pseudo-stem tender core flours. Food Chemistry, 128(3), 748-753. doi:
10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.03.100
8. AOAC (1995) official method of analysis, Association of official Analytical chemists, Inc,-
Virginia, Vol 2, pp69-81

9. Bhaskar, J., S, M., Chilkunda, N., & Salimath, P. (2011). Banana (Musa sp. var. elakki bale)
Flower and Pseudostem: Dietary Fiber and Associated Antioxidant Capacity. Journal Of
Agricultural And Food Chemistry, 60(1), 427-432. doi: 10.1021/jf204539v

10. Bhaskar, J., Shobha, M., Sambaiah, K., & Salimath, P. (2011). Beneficial effects of banana
(Musa sp. var. elakki bale) flower and pseudostem on hyperglycemia and advanced glycation

10
 end-products (AGEs) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Journal Of Physiology And
Biochemistry, 67(3), 415-425. doi: 10.1007/s13105-011-0091-5

11. Official methods of analysis of AOAC International, 16th ed. (1997). Choice Reviews
Online, 35(02), 35-0912-35-0912. doi: 10.5860/choice.35-0912

12. Official methods of Analysis of the association of official analytical chemists. 20th Edn.
AOAC, Washington, D.C.

13. SAINSMALAYSIANA.
(2018).Retrievedfromhttp://www.ukm.my/jsm/english_journals/vol41num3_2012/vol41num3_
2012pg319-324

14. Aziz, N., Ho, L., Azahari, B., Bhat, R., Cheng, L., & Ibrahim, M. (2011). Chemical and
functional properties of the native banana (Musa acuminata×balbisiana Colla cv. Awak)
pseudo-stem and pseudo-stem tender core flours. Food Chemistry, 128(3), 748-753. doi:
10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.03.100

15. Krokida, M., Karathanos, V., & Maroulis, Z. (1998). Effect of freeze-drying conditions on
shrinkage and porosity of dehydrated agricultural products. Journal Of Food
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