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Application of Vacuum Impregnation Techniques to Improve the pH Reduction of Vegetables: Study on Carrots and Eggplants

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Abstract

The effects of vacuum acidification (VA) and pulsed vacuum acidification (PVA) on pH reduction and their kinetics on carrot and eggplant slices were studied. Both vegetables showed a significant improvement of acidification rate when submitted to VA and PVA in comparison with traditional acidifying-dipping. In particular, carrot slices treated at 1,023.25 and 300 mbar showed kinetic constants of “Peleg-type model,” respectively, of 163.11 ± 108.4 and 31.86 ± 11.15 min−1 proving a significant increase of initial rate when a vacuum pulse was applied. Nevertheless, a further increase of vacuum did not improve pH reduction due to the low-porosity and the high-rigidity tissues. For eggplants submitted to VA, a fractional decrease of pH of 20 % was obtained by applying a pressure of 100 mbar for a vacuum time of 3 min and a relaxation time of 5 min; instead, only a reduction of 3 % was obtained at atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the changes on visual appearance of vegetable tissue were highlighted, showing that the inhomogeneous response of eggplants to the vacuum in different sections of the slices could reduce the consumers’ acceptability.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no actual or potential conflict of interest including financial, personal, or other relationships with other people or organizations within 3 years from the beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work. This paper has not been published previously, and it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Moreover, the text is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright holder.

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  1. Department of Science of Agricultural of Food of Environment (SAFE), University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25, Foggia, Italy

    A. Derossi, T. De Pilli & C. Severini

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  1. A. Derossi
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  2. T. De Pilli
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  3. C. Severini
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Correspondence to A. Derossi.

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Derossi, A., De Pilli, T. & Severini, C. Application of Vacuum Impregnation Techniques to Improve the pH Reduction of Vegetables: Study on Carrots and Eggplants. Food Bioprocess Technol 6, 3217–3226 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-012-0994-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-012-0994-3

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