CHANGES IN FOOD DURING

COLD STORAGE, DRY STORAGE, MODIFIED

ATMOSPHERIC STORAGE, BLANCHING AND
STERILIZATION
 COLD STORAGE
 Cold storage is required to prevent the rapid spoilage of
foods

 Food stored in these conditions form a major part of

modern diet since nutrient content is largely retained and
product resembles the fresh material more closely

 Freezing allows consumers to have access to food

previously unavailable or that are season

 Provides convenience for consumers with the issue of time

 COLD STORAGE
 Storage at low temperatures prolongs food life by

 Decreasing respiration rate of fruits and vegetables

 Retarding the growth of most spoilage organisms

There are two types of cold storage

 Refrigeration (Storage below 4o C
 Freezing (Storage between 0o – -18o C)

 The effects of cold storage on a food product

depend largely on the type of cold storage used
 COLD STORAGE

 Increases the life of many foods

 Less successful with fruits and vegetables with high

water content

 Does not improve the quality of decayed food. It only

RETARDS deterioration

 Protects against carbohydrate loss in the good

 COLD STORAGE
CHANGES DURING FREEZING

 Physical hardening of product

 Reduction in product weight

 Freezer burns and dehydration

 Change in food color

 Crystallization of water vapor in frozen products

 Chemical and biological changes

 Breakdown of glycogen
 Protein denaturation
 Loss of electrolytes
 COLD STORAGE
 CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN MEATS AND POULTRY

 A small but detectable level of changes is seen in the eating

quality of the meat

 Slow freezing causes a larger loss of drip thawing and a

larger loss of nitrogenous constituents and nucleic acid
derivatives

 Meat losses a larger part of its water holding capacity in slow

freezing

 Frozen chicken shows a significant change in odor of the

breast and leg meat and a decrease in tenderness of cooked
breast meat
 COLD STORAGE
CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

 During freezing, the water in the cells freeze and expand

causing the cell walls to rupture. This results in a softer
texture of the food after thawing

 Freezer burns cause a glassy appearance on some products.

Grainy, brownish spots occurring on the product cause
tissues to become dry, tough and develop off-flavors

 Rancid oxidative flavors can develop through the contact of

the frozen product with air
 DRY STORAGE
 Refers to the storage of food by the removal of its moisture
content

 Drying of food is the simplest and oldest method of food

preservation

 Foods commonly stored in these condition

 Cereal grains
 Legumes
 Nuts
 Fruits
 Herbs
 Lean meats
 Fish

 Foods like Lettuce, melon and cucumbers do not dry well due to
their high moisture content
 DRY STORAGE

 The terms evaporation, desiccation and dehydration

are all related to the dry storage of foods

 The quality of dried foods depends in part on the

changes that occur during processing and storage

 Physical changes
 Texture
 Rehydratability
 Appearance

 Chemical changes
 Diffusivities of products
 DRY STORAGE

 Commonly examined properties of dried foods

 Engineering properties
 Effective moisture diffusivity
 Thermal conductivity
 Drying kinetics
 Specific heat
 Equilibrium moisture content

 Quality properties
 Thermal properties
 Structural properties
 Optical properties
 Sensory properties
 Nutritional characteristics
 Rehydration properties
 DRY STORAGE
 Effects of Air drying on foods
 Low porosity and high density
 Significant color changes occur
 Product has low sorption capacity

 Effects of microwave drying on foods

 Higher porosity of the food
 Less deterioration of color
 Volatile aroma

 Effects of osmotic dehydration

 Minimize effects of heat on color and flavor
 Prevent enzymatic browning

 Effects of Freeze drying

 Porous structure with little or no shrinkage
 Superior taste and aroma retention
 Better rehydration properties
 DRY STORAGE

 COLOUR LOSS IN FOOD

 Color of foods depends on the circumstances under which

food is viewed and the ability of food to reflect, scatter,
absorb or transmit visible light

 Drying changes the surface characteristics of food and alters

reflectivity and color

 During drying, pigments like carotenoids and chlorophyll are

oxidized leading to pigment losses

 Oxidation and residual enzyme activity causes browning

during storage. It can be prevented by blanching or
treatment of food with ascorbic acid or Sulphur dioxide
 MODIFIED ATMOSPHERIC STORAGE

 The a preservation process where storage shelf life of food is

increased by modifying the atmosphere surrounding the food

 It targets a reduction in the rate of respiration of the food and the

activity of insects or microorganisms

 It maintains the natural quality of the food and is used in the

preservation of food grains, fruits, vegetables and meats

 Various conditions used for MAS are

 High CO2 where CO2 is added in a gaseous or solid form

 Low O2 where gases with low O2 content like N2 are added
 Hermetic conditions where Oxygen is removed by allowing metabolic
processes in an airtight storage that uses O2 and releases CO2
 MODIFIED ATMOSPHERIC STORAGE FOR
GRAINS
 Grains are usually dry and cannot support the growth of
bacteria. Therefore insects and molds are the major spoilage
organisms

 Creating an anoxic environment in the stored-grain eco-system

has a lethal effect on insects and molds.

 CO2 affects complex physiological processes in insects and

causes desiccation because spiracles remain open and water loss
cannot be regulated

 Used as an alternative to chemical fumigants

 This type of preservation maintains high levels of germination

and preserves grain quality.
 EFFECTS OF MAS ON FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
 Exposure of fresh horticultural crops to low O2 and/or elevated
CO2 atmospheres

 Within a range: Retards respiration and ethylene production

 Over the range: Induces a stress response that increases respiration and
ethylene production. May cause susceptibility to decay.

 Affects ethylene production by targeting enzymes

 High CO2/low O2 levels inhibit ACC synthase activity and stimulate ACC
oxidase

 Optimum atmospheric conditions retard chlorophyll loss,

biosynthesis of carotenoids and anthocyanins and biosynthesis
and oxidation of phenolic compounds (brown color)
 ADVANTAGES OF MAS ON FRUITS
AND VEGETABLES
 Slows down the activity of cell wall degrading enzymes involved in softening and
enzymes involved lignification leading to toughening of vegetables

 Low O2 and /or high CO2 atmosphere influence flavor by reducing loss of acidity,
starch to sugar conversions, sugar interconversions and biosynthesis of flavor
volatiles.

 At optimum storage conditions, ascorbic acid and vitamins are retained resulting in
better nutritional quality.

 Alleviation of certain physiological disorders such as chilling injury of avocado and

some storage disorders, including scalding of apples

 Can have a direct or indirect effect on postharvest pathogens.

 CO2 at 10 to 15% significantly inhibit development of botrytis rot on strawberries,
cherries, and other perishables.
DISADVANTAGES OF MAS ON VEGETABLES
AND FRUITS
 Initiation and/or aggravation of certain physiological disorders
such as internal browning in apples and pears, brown stain of
lettuce, and chilling injury of some commodities.

 Irregular ripening of fruits, such as banana, mango, pear, and

tomato, can result from exposure to O2 levels below 2% and/or
CO2 levels above 5% for > 1 month

 Development of off-flavors and off-odors at very low O2

concentrations (as a result of anaerobic respiration) and very high
CO2 levels (as a result of fermentative metabolism).

 Increased susceptibility to decay when the fruit is physiologically

injured by too-low O2 or too-high CO2 concentrations.
 MODIFIED ATMOSPHERIC STORAGE FOR
MEAT
 The effect of MAS on meat is considerably different from grains
 Meats contain an abundance of nutrients and water that can support the growth of
all kinds of microbes, yeast and mold

 Factors:

 Storage temperature is the most important extrinsic factor affecting storage life of
fresh meat
 Longest shelf life is achieved when product is held at the lowest possible temperature
without freezing (-1.5o C)

 The availability of O2 surrounding the meat determines the color of the meat which
is of utmost economic importance

 Color of the meat is determined by three forms of myoglobin

 Oxymyoglobin : Bright red when oxygenated. Purple when deoxygenated
 Deoxymyoglobin
 Metmyoglobin : Major pigment responsible for discoloration of meat
EFFECTS OF MAS ON MEATS

 Shelf life of the meat is greatly increased

 Extended storage in these conditions

improve meat tenderness

 Vacuum packaging results in discoloration of

the meats
 BLANCHING
 Fruits or vegetables are heated to
 inactivate enzymes
 modify texture
 preserve color, flavor and nutritional value
 remove trapped air.

 A unit operation prior to freezing, canning or drying

 Hot water and steam are commonly used in

blanching industries. Microwave and hot gas are
also used
 BLANCHING
 Done prior to freezing and canning to..

 Inactivate enzymes that cause development of off-flavors

and off-colors during storage

 Removes trapped air and metabolic gases within vegetable

cells and replaces them with water

 Forms a semi-continouous water phase that favors uniform

crystal growth during freezing
 Beneficial during canning as it allows easier fill, reduces strain
on can during heating and reduces can corrosion

 Facilitates peeling, dicing and reduces microbial load

 EFFECTS OF BLANCHING

 Flavor, texture and color are quality parameters that

are typically assessed for fresh products immediately
after blanching and after a given storage time

 Food quality is greatly affected by the type and

extent of blanching

 Studies can determine the efficacy of the process in

retaining or improving food quality on each process
 EFFECTS OF BLANCHING

 FLAVOR

 Directly or indirectly affects the flavor of many products

due to the inactivation of enzymes responsible for off
flavor development
 Lipoxygenase (LOX) in several vegetables

 Increases flavor retention and removes undesirable bitter

flavors from product
 EFFECTS OF BLANCHING

 COLOR

 Directly or indirectly affects color of the product

 Direct effects:
 The destruction of pigments like chlorophyll by heat

 Indirect effects:
 Potato processing- The reducing sugar content development
during later, more intensive heating steps where Malliard
reaction takes place
 EFFECTS OF BLANCHING
 Generally decreases the nutritional value of foods

 Nutrients leach out from the product during water

blanching

 Vitamins get degraded by heat

 Vitamins C: Commonly used as a nutrient indicator to assay
nutrient content due to its high solubility and heat
susceptibility
 Vitamin B1, B2, carotenes and dietary fibres can also be
used.
STERILIZATION

 The complete destruction of microorganisms

and their spores.

 Normally set at 121o C for 15 mins

 “Commercially sterile” foods may contain small

numbers of resistant bacterial spores, which will
not multiply in food

 “Commercially sterile” food normally has a shelf

life of two years
EFFECTS OF STERILIZATION

 FLAVOR AND TEXTURE

 The degree of change in flavor and texture of foods

depends on heat sensitivity.

 High heat denatures the structural macromolecules

(collagen, cellulose) making food soft

 Delicate foods like berries tend to be more affected

than meat
EFFECTS OF STERILIZATION

 APPEARANCE

 Sugars and starches undergo browning when

heated to high temperatures

 Maillard browning results in desirable color, flavor,

odor and texture changes
THANK YOU!!!