How is the Blanching effect on food commodities?
Blanching on the other hand is a cooking process that involves boiling of food for some time before submerging them in ice cold water. This procedure has the following penalties on foods, where it changes their texture, color, taste, nutritional quality and durability.
1. Color Retention:
It helps in preserving the bright colors of the vegetables. The brief boiling process inactivates enzymes that bring about browning and loss of color once the vegetables are bare to air. The following rinse in ice water helps to set the color, and makes vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, and carrots more beautiful to the eye. This is especially advantageous when it comes to the grounding of food and specifically the preparation of vegetables to be stored in the freezer since the color becomes dismal and lifeless as time passes.
2. Texture Preservation:
Blanching confirms the texture of the vegetables remain tender and crisp. The rapid heat treatment makes the cell walls become somewhat softened without the vegetables being fully cooked. This is useful when blanching vegetables to be frozen because it supports retaining their crunch upon melting. Also, in recipes where vegetables are cooked further, blanching is usually done in command not to make the vegetables soft and maudlin.
3. Flavor Enhancement:
Blanching can help to enrich the taste of the vegetable as it can remove the raw or bitter taste. The brief boiling process reduces the concentrations of bitter compounds, especially in cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and cabbages. This makes the vegetables taste better since the nasty and acidic flavors are balanced by the sweet taste. In addition, blanching is useful in preparing vegetables such as tomatoes and almonds for peeling by using heat to loosen the skin on the outside.
4. Nutritional Impact:
Blanching has both positive and negative effects on the nutritional value of food. It contributions in the retention of some vitamins and minerals by deactivating enzymes that damage nutrients; however, it results in the leakage of water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and certain B vitamins into the boiling water. Nutrient loss differs with the blanching time and temperature applied in the blanching process. Brief blanching is real in reducing the cooking time with minimal loss of nutrients while over-blanching may result in considerable loss of nutrients.
5. Microbial Safety and Shelf Life Extension:
Blanching is important as it lowers microbial sum of vegetables thus making them safe for consumption. The brief contact in boiling water eliminates bacteria, yeasts, and molds on the surface minimizing the chances of foodborne diseases. This process is energetic for vegetables that are to be frozen because it goes a long way in preserving them and making them last longer. Blanching also deactivates enzymes that may produce undesirable flavors, colors, and textural changes during storage.
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