Fruit and Vegetable Process Technology

Introduction
 Introduction

 What is fruit?
 What is vegetables?
 What is the difference between fruit and
vegetable?
 Harvesting and post harvesting?
 What are the preserving methods of fruit and
vegetables?
 What are the product of fruit and vegetables?
 Fruit and vegetables are both major food products in their own
right and key ingredients in many processed foods.
 Consumers increasingly require food products that preserve
their nutritional value, retain a natural and fresh colour,
flavour and texture, and contain fewer additives such as
preservatives.
 These requirements pose new challenges for fruit and
vegetable producers and processors.
 Fruit and vegetables have many similarities with respect to
their compositions, methods of cultivation and harvesting,
storage properties and processing.
 In fact, many vegetables may be considered fruit in the true
botanical sense.
 Botanically, fruits are those portions of the plant which house
seeds.
 Therefore such items as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant,
peppers, and others would be classified as fruits on this basis.
 The scientific definition of a fruit is ‘an organ that develops
from the ovary of a flowering plant and contains one or more
seeds.’

 The culinary definition, however, limits fruits to those foods

containing a high sugar content.

 The sweetness of fruits comes from a natural form of sugar

called fructose.

 Fruit is very versatile, appropriate for puddings, pies, and

jellies, salads, appetizers, eaten as snacks, and served in soups.
 The parts of the vegetable plants we eat include the leaves,
fruit, stems, roots, tubers, seeds, and flowers.
 They are eaten cooked more often than fruits are, and have a
lower sugar content.
 The important distinction between fruit and vegetables has come to be
made on an usage basis.
 Those plant items that are generally eaten with the main course of a
meal are considered to be vegetables.
 Those that are commonly eaten as dessert are considered fruits.

 Fruit as a dessert item, is the mature ovaries of plants with their seeds.

 The edible portion of most fruit is the fleshy part of the pericarp or
vessel surrounding the seeds.
 Fruit in general is acidic and sugary.

 Citrus fruit like oranges, grapefruit and lemons are high in citric
acid
 Citrus fruits are characterized by thick skins, aromatic
oils, and segmented flesh.
 They are abundant in vitamin C.

 The most common citrus fruits are oranges, grapefruits

(white and sweeter pink varieties), lemons, limes,
tangelos, and tangerines.
 The flavor of citrus fruits range from very sweet oranges
to very tart, sour lemons.
 Although there are many similarities between
fruits and vegetables, there is one important
difference that affects the way that these two
types of crop are processed:
 Most fruits are more acidic than most
vegetables!
 Different levels of acidity in fruits
Nutrients and importance of fruits and vegetables in daily life
 Fruits and vegetables provide health benefits and are
important for the prevention of illnesses.

 The fruits and vegetables high in fiber can reduce chances of

developing coronary heart disease. Therefor, Eating the
recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day can reduce
the risk of chronic diseases.
 Vegetables and fruit are important sources of both digestible and
indigestible carbohydrates.
 The digestible carbohydrates are present largely in the form of sugars
and starches, while indigestible cellulose provides roughage which is
important to normal digestion.
 Fruit is naturally low in fat, sodium and calories, and rich in
potassium, fiber, and folate.
 Some high-potassium fruits include peaches, cantaloupe, honeydew,
oranges and bananas.
 Fiber in fruit helps to protect against heart disease and
lower cholesterol.

 Fruit and vegetables are also important sources of minerals and

certain vitamins, especially vitamins A and C.
 The precursors of vitamin A, including beta-carotene and certain
other carotenoids, are to be found particularly in the yellow-
orange fruit and vegetables and in the green leafy vegetables.
 Vitamin C in foods like citrus and strawberries helps with
wound healing and keeps gums and teeth healthy.
 Eating potassium-rich foods such as bananas and potatoes can help reduce
blood pressure, decrease bone loss and prevent development of kidney
stones.
Characteristics of fruits and vegetables

 After harvest, micro-organisms and naturally occurring

enzymes rapidly change the colour, flavour and texture of
fruits and vegetables.
 The speed varies with different types of crop, but, compared
to other crops (such as cereals), there is a limited amount of
time available before they must be processed.
 Other problems that face fruit and vegetable processors
include:
 Most fruits and vegetables are seasonal. For a business to
operate throughout the year, crops must be either part-
processed for temporary storage, or a succession of crops must
be processed as they come into season.
 Raw materials have to be bought during a relatively short
harvest period when prices are lowest. There is therefore the
need to have sufficient cash available to buy a year’s supply of
crop.
 Types of Fruits and vegetable

 Oranges, grape fruit, lemons, limes, tangelos,

tangerines
 Apple, pineapple, coconuts

 Berries, cherries, mangos, papaya, avocado

 Cabbage, chili peppers, carrots, root beet, potato,
onions, peas, lima beans, better nut, etc.
3. Carbohydrates
 Carbohydrates are the main component of fruit and vegetables and
represent more than 90% of their dry matter.
 From an energy point of view carbohydrates represent the most
valuable of the food components; daily adult intake should contain
about 500 g carbohydrates.
 Carbohydrates play a major role in biological systems and in foods.
 They are produced by the process of photosynthesis in green plants.

 They may serve as structural components as in the case of cellulose;

 They stored as energy reserves as in the case of starch in plants;

 Carbohydrates can be oxidized to furnish energy, and glucose in the
blood is a ready source of energy for the human body.
 Fermentation of carbohydrates by yeast and other microorganisms can yield
carbon dioxide, alcohol, organic acids and other compounds.
 Some properties of sugars (glucose, fructose, maltose and sucrose) related to
fruit and vegetable technology:
 they supply energy for nutrition;

 they are readily fermented by micro-organisms;

 in high concentrations they prevent the growth of micro-organisms, so they
may be used as a preservative;
 on heating they darken in colour or caramelize;

Some properties of starches:

 They provide a reserve energy source in plants and supply energy in
nutrition;
 they occur in seeds and tubers as characteristic starch granules.
 some properties of celluloses and hemicelluloses:
 They are abundant in the plant kingdom and act primarily as
supporting structures in the plant tissues;
 they are insoluble in cold and hot water;
 they are not digested by man and so do not yield energy for
nutrition;
 the fiber in food which produces necessary roughage is largely
cellulose.
 Some properties of pectin and carbohydrate gums.
 Pectin's are common in fruits and vegetables and are gum-like
(they are found in and between cell walls) and help hold the plant
cells together;
 pectin's in colloidal solution contribute to viscosity of the tomato
paste;
 pectin's in solution form gels when sugar and acid are added; this
is the basis of jelly manufacture.
Pectin are also:
4. Fats and Oils
 Generally fruit and vegetables contain very low level of fats, below 0.5%.

 However, significant quantities are found in nuts (55%), apricot kernel

(40%), grapes seeds (16%), apple seeds (20%) and tomato seeds (18%).
5. Organic acids
 Fruit contains natural acids, such as citric acid in oranges and lemons,
malic acid of apples, and tartaric acid of grapes.
 These acids give the fruits tartness and slow down bacterial spoilage.

 Acidity and sugars are two main elements which determine the taste of
fruit.
 The sugar/acid ratio is very often used in order to give a technological
characterization of fruits and of some vegetables.
 Compositions of vegetables and fruit not only vary for a given
kind in according to botanical variety, cultivation practices, and
weather, but change with the degree of maturity prior to
harvest, and the condition of ripeness, which is progressive
after harvest and is further influenced by storage conditions.
 Example, most fresh vegetables and fruit are high in water
content, low in protein, and low in fat. In these cases water
contents will generally be greater than 70% and frequently
greater than 85%.
 Harvesting and processing
 Harvesting is the process stage of  maturity detaching
from the mother plant at proper stage of maturation by an
appropriate technique.  
a) Hand Harvesting
 Hand harvesting has several advantages, 

 to selective picking at the right stage of maturity 

to allow for the maximum quality development in 
the fruit or vegetable prior to harvest,
 To minimum damage done to the produce during
picking handling, storage and transportation.
b) Mechanical harvesting is employed for the majority of fruits
and vegetables intended for processing where they normally are
converted to other forms,
• where physical appearance is not a major consideration,
• where the commodity is consumed within a short time after
harvest so the quality may not deteriorate seriously in spite of
some damage induced by the mechanical harvesting
techniques, and
• where the commodity is needed in large quantities.
 Some advantages of mechanized harvesting are :

 Speed of harvest

 Improved conditions for the workers

 Reduced labor-related problems

 The disadvantages/problems associated with mechanical harvesting 

 Physical/mechanical damage to the crop

 Non-selectivity

 Separation of plant debris

 Damage to fruit trees during harvesting

 Expensive machinery

 Social impact:
ELEMENTS OF HARVESTING: HAND/MECHANICAL

 Detection: This is possible only with hand harvesting operation.

 Selection: this also is possible only with a hand harvesting
operation.
 Detachment: Mechanical devices involve combing, raking, pulling, 
lifting, digging, cutting, shaking, blowing, sucking and other 
operations. 
 Collection: Mechanical harvesters like trunk shakers require a 
catch frame  with  canvas;  others  require  a  conveying 
device  to  fill  large bins. 
 Separation: This involves the cleaning operation to separate 
unwanted material.
 Handling: From harvester to transport trucks to packing house.
 Assessment of crop maturity

 The principles that underlie at which stage of maturity of fruit or

vegetable should be harvested are critical to its quality as well as
its subsequent storage and marketable life.
 Maturity may be defined in terms of either their physiological
maturity or their horticultural maturity and are based on the
measurement of various qualitative and quantitative factors.
 There are certain guiding principles to be followed when
selecting fruit or vegetables to be harvested.
 Harvest maturity should be at maturity that:

 allows them to be at its peak condition when they reach the

consumer. When vegetables are maturing in the field they are
changing from day to day. There is a time when the vegetable
will be at peak quality from the stand-point of colour, texture
and flavour.
 allows them to develop an acceptable flavour or appearance
 allows them to have an adequate shelf-life

 gives a size acceptable to the market

 is not toxic
Maturity indicators

 Skin color  Firmness

 Shape  Leaf change

 Aroma  size
 Postharvest Losses
 In agriculture postharvest handling is the stage of crop production
immediately following harvest ,including cooling, cleaning and packing.
 Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and require proper
postharvest management, using appropriate techniques for handling and
storage to minimize loss.
 The range of postharvest losses varies anywhere from 5% to 50% and
higher.
 In developing countries, the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables
are enormous due to:
 lack of adequate infrastructure and
 poor postharvest handling practices.
 The post-harvest system is a crucial and dynamic component of the
agricultural complex.
 Increasingly, agricultural products are not consumed in their raw form, and
post-harvest activities such as transport, storage, processing and
marketing account for a growing part of their final value.
 Harvested fruits and vegetables continue to maintain physiological systems
and sustain metabolic processes that were present before harvest.
 Maturation, ripening, and senescence induce many changes in fruits and
vegetables.
 Causes of Postharvest Losses
 The different cause of postharvest food losses broadly grouped under
primary and secondary.
Primary Causes

 Biological and microbiological: Consumption or damage by insects,

pests, animals and microorganisms.
 Chemical and biochemical: Undesirable reactions between chemical 
compounds present in the food such as browning, rancidity,
enzymatic changes, etc.
 Mechanical: Spillages, damages caused by abrasion, bruising,
crushing, puncturing, etc.
 Physical: Improper environmental and storage conditions;
(temperature, relative humidity, air speed, etc.)
 Physiological: Sprouting, senescence, other respiratory and 
transpiratory changes.
 Psychological: Humana version or refusal due to personal or 
Secondary Causes of Losses
 Secondary causes usually are the result of inadequate or nonexistent input and
may lead to conditions favorable for  primary  causes. This can include: 
 improper harvesting and handling; inadequate storage facilities,
inadequate transportation, inadequate refrigeration and inadequate marketing 
system.
 Respiration: Respiration is a process by which all living cells 
break down organic matter into simple end-products with release 
of energy and CO2. 
 The result is loss of organic matter, loss of food value and 
addition of heat load which must taken refrigeration considerations. 
 The higher the respiration rate of produce, the shorter is its 
shelf-life.
 Ethylene production: Ethylene has a profound effect on physiological 

activities. Used in ripening chambers, it can trigger physiological activity 

even in trace amounts. 

 Compositional changes: Many changes occur during storage, some

desirable and some undesirable.

 For example, loss of green color is desirable in fruits but not in

vegetables.

 Development of carotenoid pigments may have nutritional importance.

 Growth and development: In most produce there is continued

growth and development even after harvest. 

 Characteristic activities are sprouting of potatoes, onions and garlic,

seed germination in fruits like tomatoes, lemons, etc.
 Transpiration: Transportation refers water loss resulting in
shriveling and wilting due to dehydration and is 
undesirable due to loss of appearance, salable weight, 
texture and quality.
 Physiological breakdown: This includes freezing injury (temperatures 
below their freezing point),

Heat injury can result in commodities exposed to direct 

sunlight or excessively high heat for prolonged intervals.

Other factors: These include physical/mechanical damage to 

the produce occurring during harvesting, handling, storage and 

transportation.
 Fruit ripening involves many complex changes, including seed
maturation, color changes, abscission from the parent plant,
tissue softening, volatile production, wax development on skin,
and changes in respiration rate, ethylene production, tissue
permeability, carbohydrate composition.
 Product respiration, transpiration, and ethylene production are
major factors contributing to the deterioration of fresh fruits and
vegetables.
 Reduction of these processes by technologies such as cooling
and storage, enable the postharvest life of fresh produce to be
prolonged.
 How to preserve fruit and vegetable ?

 Principles of food preservation

1) Prevention or delay of microbial decomposition of food

 By keeping out micro-organisms (asepsis)

 By removal of micro-organisms (filtration)

 By hindering the growth or activity of micro-organisms (use

of low temperature,

drying, creating anaerobic conditions or using chemicals).

 By killing the micro-organisms (using heat or irradiation).

2) Prevention or delay of self decomposition of food
 By destruction or inactivation of food enzymes (blanching
or boiling)
 By prevention or delay of purely chemical reactions (use of
antioxidants to prevent oxidation).
3) Prevention of damage by insects, animals, mechanical causes
etc.
 by use of fumigants, cushioning, packaging etc.).
Objectives of fruit and vegetable processing:

1) To supply wholesome, safe, nutrition's and acceptable food to consumer through

out the year.

2) To reduce wastage and losses: Fruit and vegetable industry is the backbone of

horticulture industry as it takes care of all possible waste that occurs in spite of

improvement in the distribution and marketing of fresh produce.

3) To handle glut: Produce during glut season utilized for making different

processed products, thus fruit processing helps in reducing wastage and handling

excess produce during glut season.

4) To stabilize farm prices and income: It stabilizes farm price by utilizing the

excess produce in value addition to provide additional income to the farmers.

5) To utilize marketable surplus: Processing utilizes marketable surplus as

well as cull and deformed produce, to ensure remunerative returns to the

growers.

6) To generate employment: Processing of fruits and vegetables being a

labor intensive helps to generate both direct and indirect employment for

the masses.

7) To add variety to the diet: Value addition/processing make the food

more attractive and palatable.

8) To ensure nutritional security.

9) To earn foreign exchange through export of processed fruit and

vegetable products.
Processing of fruit and vegetable

a) Primary processing: Simple primary processing operations like

sorting, trimming, grading, washing, surface drying and packaging

can be used to prepare fruit and vegetables for immediate

marketing.

 The available equipment and technologies for various unit

operations of primary processing include farm level fruit and

vegetable washing machine, basket centrifuge, shrink packaging and

hydro cooler-cum-washer, dryer, tamarind de huller and de seeder,

etc.
Secondary processing
Drying: Drying is the oldest and cheapest method of preservation of
horticultural produce.
ii) Osmotic dehydration: Osmotic dehydration consisting of partial removal of
water by dipping in sugar syrup prior to washing in a mechanical dehydrator is
now a standard accepted practice for preparation of intermediate moisture
products with acceptable sensory qualities. Example pineapple slices, mango
slices, banana slices, apricot, apple and grapes etc.
 Osmotic dehydration is one of the best and suitable method to increase the
shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
 This process is preferred over others due to their vitamin and minerals,
color, flavor and taste retention property.
iii) Processing of lesser utilized fruits: Large quantities of lesser utilized
horticultural crops cannot be consumed in fresh form without processing.
 Processing of such crops can play an important role in satisfying the
demand for nutritious, delicately flavored and attractive natural foods of
high therapeutic value.
iv) Value addition: The value added products include juice, concentrate,
fruit based carbonated juices, canning, pulp extraction, pickling, sauce
making, preserves and candies, beverages like squashes, ready to serve
(RTS) drinks and appetizer etc. from different fruits and vegetables.

v) Fermented products: Production of alcoholic drinks like champagne

(sparkling wine),wine, vinegar etc. is now an accepted practice for
utilization of different fruits.

vi) By product waste utilization: Fruit processing plants

generate large volume of byproducts in the form of pomace,
seeds, stones/pits skin, peel which is thrown as waste.
 Basic processing technology for Fruits and Vegetables
 Basic processing of fruits and vegetables usually starts with grading,
washing, cooling, and peeling, depending on the characteristics of the
crops and the final products.

Sorting/Grading
One of the initial steps fruits and vegetables go through is grading, to
determine the price paid to the farmer.
 This is done at the processing facility or at a centralized station before
going to the processing facility.
 Fruit sorting covers two main separate processing operations:

a. Removal of damaged fruit and any foreign bodies (which might have
been left behind after washing);
b. Qualitative sorting based on organoleptic criteria and maturity stage.
ORGANIZED CHAOS: Fresh produce mixes with rotting vegetables in Bangalore's Krishnarajendra Market
Washing
 Washing is a critical control step in producing fruit and
vegetable products with a low microbial count.
 After harvesting, fruits and vegetables are washed to eliminate
soil, dirt, surface microorganisms, mold, insects, Drosophila
eggs, fungicide, insecticide, and other pesticide residues.
 Some usual practices in fruit washing are:

 Addition of detergents or 1.5% HCl solution in washing water

to remove traces of insect fungicides;
 Use of warm water (about 50°C) in the pre-washing phase;
 Higher water pressure in spray washers. It is most satisfactory
Clean harvest containers and tools daily
Tomato washing in a tank before transporting tothe lye peeler.
 Cooling

• Cooling is used to remove the field heat from fresh fruits and vegetables
before further processing.
• This reduces water loss, slows down respiration and ripening (for fruits), and
minimizes microbial growth.
• The cooling conditions for different fruits and vegetables depend on the type,
maturity, and cultivar.
Water cooling
• In water cooling or hydro cooling, fruits and vegetables are immersed in cold
water, which is usually in the bulk bins for transporting fruits and vegetables
from the truck to the next processing step.
• This cooling method can be used for stem vegetables, leafy vegetables, and
small fruits, such as peas, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes, melons, and peaches.
Vacuum cooling
• An alternative is to cool food by placing it in a vacuum chamber.

• Vacuum cooling is based on the principle of evaporation: as water evaporates from

the product, energy is removed, and the temperature drops.
• Vacuum cooling is one of the most rapid cooling methods, providing uniform cooling
using a vacuum chamber.
• The pressure around the fruits and vegetables is decreased, decreasing the boiling
point of water.
• The heat in the fruits and vegetables is absorbed by the surface water as it evaporates.

• This method is used for cooling fruits and vegetables that have a large surface area to
volume ratio, such as spinach, cabbage, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables.
• Vacuum cooling can cause up to 3% moisture loss in the product but water sprayed on
the surface of fruits and vegetables before cooling can help reduce the loss of water
during cooling
Air cooling
• Air cooling cools fruits and vegetables by heat transfer from the
product to cold air circulating at −1 C to 16 C with a relative
humidity (RH) of 85–90%.
• This step can also be done with room temperature air. Air
cooling is efficient for cooling tomatoes, apples, and cherries.
• This cooling method requires an intermediate investment cost
and the system is easy to control; however, air cooling takes more
time when compared to other methods.
• The rate of cooling can be improved by using forced air, where
the cold air is forced with a pressure gradient into the chamber or
container.
Peeling
 Peeling is a critical step in the processing of many fruits and
vegetables to remove undesirable parts which are
 either inedible or difficult to digest, and

 to enhance the physical appearance of the product.

 Efficient peeling methods remove minimal skin to produce
 a clean and undamaged surface.

 They should also use minimal energy and labor, and have low
operating costs.
 The main methods for peeling fruits and vegetables are lye
peeling, steam peeling, and mechanical peeling.
Lye peeling

 Lye peeling, also known as caustic peeling, is a chemical method

used for peel removal of thin-skinned products, where raw food

materials are exposed to a heated solution containing caustic

chemicals (most commonly, sodium hydroxide or potassium

hydroxide) that can dissolve the skin.

 Lye or caustic peeling applies a solution of lye (sodium hydroxide)

at 10–20% at 100–120 C for 2–6 min.

 During this process, the lye hydrolyzes the pectin, loosening then

skin, and a high-pressure water spray with rubber disks or a

perforated mesh cage is then used to remove the skin.

 Steam peeling
 Steam peeling is the application of high-pressure steam.
 It can be used in the peeling of beets, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and onions.

 In steam peeling, peel removal is possible because of rupture of the cells just
under the peel.
 Due to the high temperature and pressure, the temperature of the water
inside these cells exceeds the boiling point, but remains in a liquid state.
• When the pressure in the chamber is released, the water changes to steam,
bursting the cells.
• Time, temperature, and pressure are the most critical factors to control to
optimize the peeling process. The higher the temperature and pressure, the
shorter the time required, and the more complete the peel removal.
Mechanical peeling

• Mechanical peeling is mainly used for peeling fruits, such as

apples, pears, pineapples, oranges, and other citrus fruits.
• Some vegetables can also be peeled by mechanical peeling,
such as carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
• The most common mechanical peeling method uses either
cutting tools (knife peeling) or an abrasive peeler.
 Blanching

• Treatment of fruit and vegetables by dipping in boiling water at 85–

95 C or steam for short periods before processing.
• blanching used reducing surface microbial load, removing
intercellular gases, preheating the materials, softening the product,
and stopping respiration and maturation.
• Enzymes that cause quality loss and changes in fruits and
vegetables include lipoxygenase, polygalacturonase, and
polyphenol oxidase.
• Peroxidase is a heat resistant enzyme found in most vegetables,
which is frequently used as a marker enzyme to indicate whether
the products are correctly blanched.
Size reduction

 Fruit and vegetables are sliced to a desirable size either

manually or by using semi or automatic slicing/chopping or
dicing machines.
 These unit operations are collectively called as size reduction.
These unit operations increase the rate of drying, heating,
cooling and improve the efficiency and rate of extraction of
liquid components like fruit juices.
 The equipment for size reduction includes slicers, dicers,
shredders, and bowl choppers, depending on the preferred size
of the final products.
 Freezing
• Freezing reduces the temperature of fruits and vegetables to below the
freezing point of the product.
• This lowers water activity, slows down enzymatic reactions, and stops
microbial growth.
 Dehydration
 Dehydration increases the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by decreasing
water activity, which is the available water for microbial growth and enzyme
activity.
• It used to prevent microbial growth and undesirable enzyme activity.
• Dehydration removes water by evaporation, such as sun drying, tunnel
drying, and freeze drying.
• Sun and solar drying are widely used to dehydrate around the world due to
their simplicity and low cost.
 Canning process

• The canning industry uses thermal processing to ensure

microbial safety and shelf life extension of food products.
• Retorting is a process that relies on the transfer of heat to
guarantee the safety of canned food.
• In this process, cans are filled with the food product and then
sealed hermetically before retorting.
• Wet heat and pressure are applied within the retort to sterilize
both the container and food product.
• This heat sterilization is essential in canning, especially for
low-acid foods, which have a pH greater than 4.6 and a water
activity greater than 0.85, such as papaya, bananas, melons,
 Minimal processing
 Many fresh fruits and vegetables are minimally processed to keep them fresh,
prevent quality loss, and prolong shelf life.
 The shelf life of minimally processed fruits and vegetables is at least 4–7 days
 Commercial minimally processed products are ready-to-eat pre peeled, sliced,
grated, or shredded fruits and vegetables, such as precut lettuce, grated carrot,
and shredded Chinese cabbage for salad mixes.
Merits of minimal processing:
 Minimal processing allows consumers to have fresh fruits and vegetables with
convenience.
 Solid waste disposal problems and storage demand under refrigeration are
reduced.
 Supply of a variety of ready to eat items.
Demerits of minimal processing:
 Minimal processing operations like cutting, slicing, chopping, peeling etc.
cause
 injuries of plant tissues,

 initiate enzymatic changes,

 cause for ethylene production, respiration, and water loss from tissues and
 make them more susceptible to microbial spoilage.

 minimally processed fruits and vegetables suffer changes in nutritional value

and sensory quality(loss of texture, appearance and flavour during storage).
 Minimally processed fruits and vegetables offer a good media for the growth
of microorganisms and a number of pathogenic microorganisms are reported
to grow over them
 Products and Production Methods


Potentially each of large number of fruits and vegetables that are grown in world could

be used to make the range of products.

Products that have a high demand include:

dried fruit (pineapple and banana for export)

fruit wines (especially pineapple and grapes)

fried snacks (banana or potato chips)

juices

squashes

Tomato sauce
Products that have a smaller demand at present include:

 jams, jellies and marmalades

 bottled fruits

 chutneys and pickles

 purees and pastes

The high demand for products in the first category has led to strong

competition as more and more small-scale processors start to produce

these products.

Processors should therefore try to diversify into new varieties and

experiment with new types of processed fruit and vegetables.

Fruit and vegetable product
 Products that have a high demand Fried products

• Starchy fruits such as banana can be fried and eaten as snack foods.
• Heat destroys enzymes and micro-organisms and moisture is
removed which prevents recontamination.
• When products are packed in moisture-proof, light-proof and
airtight containers, they can have a shelf life of several weeks or
months.
• The main cause of spoilage is rancidity of frying oil that remains on
the product.
• The temperature during frying should be carefully controlled,
preferably using an electric fryer with a thermostat control.
 Jams, jellies and marmalades

 Jam is made using pulp from a single fruit or from a mixture of

fruits.
 The combination of high acidity (pH around 3.0)and high sugar
content (68-72%), prevents mould growth after opening the jar.
 Jellies are crystal-clear jams that are made using filtered juice
instead of fruit pulp and marmalades are produced from clear
citrus juices (lime, orange, grapefruit, lemon or orange) that
have fine shreds of peel suspended in the gel.
 There are two important points to remember when making

jams, jellies or marmalades:

1) There must be the correct proportions of juice, sugar, acid

and pectin in order to form a good gel.

2) Water must be boiled off quickly to concentrate the mixture

before it darkens.

 If whole fruit is used, there are two heating stages: at the start,

the fruit is heated slowly to soften it, then the mixture is boiled

rapidly until the sugar content reaches 68-72%.

• The type of pectin used in jams and marmalades (above 55% solids) is
known as high methoxyl (HM) pectin.
• It is used in a pH range of 2.0-3.5.
• A second type, known as low methoxyl (LM) pectin, is used mainly for
spreads or for gelling agents in milk products.
• Jams should be hot filled (at around 85 oC) into glass jars and sealed
with a new lid.
• If the temperature is too high, steam condenses to water on the inside
of the lid and dilutes sugar at the surface of the jam, which can cause
moulds growth.
• If the temperature is too low, the jam thickens and is difficult to pour
into containers.
Process for jam, jelly or marmalade
Cont,d
Process for bottled fruits
Cont,d
 Wines

• Wines are produced by fermentation of fruit juice or pulp by varieties

of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, named 'wine yeasts'.
• There are five basic stages or steps to making wine: harvesting,
crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, and then aging and
bottling.
1) Harvesting or picking
 is the first step in the actual wine making process.

 Without fruit there would be no wine, and no fruit other than grapes
can produce annually a reliable amount of sugar to yield sufficient
alcohol to preserve the resulting beverage.
 The process of making fine wine requires that the grapes are
harvested at a precise time, preferably when physiologically ripe.
 The grapes arrive at the winery, reputable winemakers will sort the
grape groups, rejecting out rotten or under-ripe fruit before crushing.
2) Crushing and Pressing
• Crushing the whole clusters of fresh ripe grapes is the next step in
the wine making process.
• mechanical crushers perform the time-honored tradition of stomping
the grapes into what is commonly referred to as must.
• Mechanical pressing has also improved the quality and
longevity of wine.
• Up until crushing and pressing the steps for making white
wine and red wine are essentially the same.
• However, if a winemaker is to make white wine, press the
must after crushing in order to separate the juice from the
skins, seeds, and solids.
3) Fermentation

fermentation begins, it normally continues until all of the sugar is

converted to alcohol and a dry wine is produced.

Fermentation can require anywhere from ten days to a month or

more.

The resulting level of alcohol in a wine will vary from one locale to

the next, due to the total sugar content of the must.

An alcohol level of 10% in cool climates versus a high of 15% in

warmer areas is considered normal.

Sweet wine is produced when the fermentation process stops before

all of the sugar has been converted into alcohol.

4) Clarification
Once fermentation is completed, the clarification process begins.

 Winemakers have the option of racking or siphoning wines from one tank or

barrel to the next for leaving the precipitates and solids in the bottom of the

fermenting tank.

Filtering and fining may also be done at this stage.

Fining occurs when substances are added to a wine to clarify them.

Often, winemakers will add clay, or other compounds to wine that will help

precipitate dead yeast cells and other solids out of a wine.

The clarified wine is then racked into another vessel, where it is ready for

bottling or further aging.

5) Aging and Bottling

 The final stage of the wine making process involves the aging
and bottling of wine.

 After clarification, the winemaker has the choice of bottling a

wine immediately.

 Further aging can be done in bottle, stainless steel or ceramic

tanks, large wooden ovals, or small barrels.
 Almost any fruit can be used to make wine, but the most

popular in is grapes, pineapple, followed by passion fruit,

papaya, banana and strawberry (or strawberry flavored) wines.