EXERCISE 6: FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

1. Introduction

Fruits and vegetables impart crisp texture, bright colors, and fresh, tart, and sweet flavors to dishes.
The importance of this food group cannot be discounted as it provides superior nutrition—low in
fat (most of them), source of fiber, vitamins (includes Vitamin A, C, E, and B-vitamins), and
minerals (magnesium, phosphorous, and zinc). Fruits and vegetables may be eaten fresh while
some require cooking. The challenge of cooking vegetables is to maintain its desirable quality and
transform it to a more palatable one. Preserving and improving the colors of vegetables require
thorough understanding about the effects of heat and added ingredients on their respective
pigments. Pigments of fruits and vegetables are divided into groups: carotenoids (orange, red,
yellow), chlorophyll (green), anthoxanthin (white to pale yellow), and anthocyanin (blue to deep
purple). These pigments differ in solubility and behavior in the presence of different ingredients
such as acid or alkali. Browning of fruits and some vegetables during preparation is considered a
quality defect that must be prevented. Crisp texture, on the other hand, is a desirable characteristic
that defines this food group as attributed to plant cell turgidity. Cooking however, changes texture
drastically as well as some ingredients. This activity lends practical information on the changes
that take place in fruits and vegetables during preparation and cooking.

Learning objectives Activities

● explain the color and texture changes that ● experiment on vegetable color & texture
would take place in vegetables with prolonged changes
heating and with the addition of acidic and
alkaline ingredient to the cooking medium
● describe the color changes in fruits with the ● experiment on browning rection in fruits
addition of acid

2. Procedure
A. Color & texture changes in Vegetables
Materials
2 pc fresh Baguio beans, oblique cut ½ c calamansi, juice extract
1 small carrot, julienne 4 tsp baking soda
1 small radish, julienne 4 sauce pans (1 qt capacity)
1 small red cabbage, chiffonade 16 white saucers and 12 cups
Procedure:

1. Wash, pare, and cut the vegetables.

2. Divide each vegetable into four equal portions (~15g each). Prepare each kind of
vegetable one at a time following the procedures below:

First portion: Keep one of the portions raw and uncooked. Place in white saucer to
serve as control. Label properly as control.

Second portion: Boil one (1) cup tap water in a sauce pan. Add the second portion
of vegetables and cook for 5 minutes covered. Drain liquid into a white
cup to observe and determine solubility of the pigment in water. Transfer
drained vegetables into a white saucer. Label properly as cooked with
prolonged heating.

Third portion: Boil one (1) cup water plus 2 tbsp calamansi juice in a saucepan.
Add the third portion of vegetables. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Drain
liquid into a white cup. Transfer drained vegetables into a white saucer.
Label properly as cooked with citric acid added.

Fourth portion: In a saucepan, boil (1) cup water plus 1 tsp baking soda. Add the
last portion of vegetables. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Drain liquid into
a white cup. Transfer drained vegetables into a white saucer. Label
properly as cooked with baking soda added.

3. Describe color/color changes and/or pigment reaction in each portion of

vegetables.
4. Record your observations on the worksheet.
B. Color in Fruits
Fruits
Materials
1 small ripe guava 6 white saucers
1 small apple ¼ c calamansi juice
1 small banana

Procedure

1. Cut fruit into 2 portions so that fruit inner surface will be exposed. Coat calamansi
juice on the peeled/exposed surface of 1 portion.
2. Leave the other portion without treatment.
3. Place each portion of the fruit into a white saucer with the calamansi juice-coated
surface exposed to the atmosphere.
4. Compare the color of the fruit surface (with and without calamansi juice coating)
after 30 minutes.
5. Record your observations on Worksheet 6.

RUBRICS
TOTAL POINTS: 50 points
Part 1. Table 1: 20 pts
Part 2. Table 2: 4 pts
Part 3. Table 3: 6 pts
Part 4. Guide questions: 20 points—5 pts each; no cited reference, no point.
5 4 3 2 1 0

Criteria Key aspects Key aspects Key aspects Key aspects Key aspects No
of the topic of the topic of the topic of the topic of the topic answer.
are clearly are clearly are clearly are mostly are incorrect.
presented presented in presented. accurate. Concepts
with excellent detail. Concepts Concepts presented are
detail. Concepts presented are presented are not
Concepts presented are mostly somewhat applicable.
presented are applicable. applicable applicable.
highly
relevant.