Fruits and Vegetables
CH 13 & 14
Classification of Vegetable
Vegetables may be
derived from almost
Fruits: part of the any part of the plant.
plant that contains
seeds
Plant parts considered
edible include the:
roots, bulbs, stems,
leaves, seeds, and
even flowers.
Plant Pigments
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Plant Pigments
•Carotenoid
s
(Carotene
converted to
Video Demonstration - Blanching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svHjQwJcJaE
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Plant Pigments
Flavonoids:
• Anthocyanins (red-purple) : Acidity intensifies
the color/Alkaline medium alters the colors*
• Anthoxanthins (cream/white): Further
whitening can be achieved by adding acidic
ingredients such as cream of tartar or vinegar.
They turn to an undesirable yellow color in
alkaline water.
• Betalains (deep purplish-red color): leave
Color change
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7QbKz8BNsYc
Purchasing Vegetables
• Season, ripeness, freshness, yield, and freedom
from bruising or mold are considered when
selecting vegetables.
• At present, the only USDA graded fresh
vegetables are potatoes, carrots, and onions.
• Grading is voluntary and based on ripeness,
color, shape, size, uniformity, and freedom
Legumes*
• Beans, peas and lentils serve as an excellent
source of fiber, protein, iron and complex
carbohydrates
• Soybeans: higher protein and fat content, can be
used to make:
– Textured vegetable protein
– Meat analogs
– Soy milk
– Tofu (cheese made from soy milk)
– Fermented soybean foods
Preparation of Vegetables
• Dry-heat (baking, roasting, stir-frying, deep-frying)
or moist-heat (simmering, steaming, braising*,
microwaving**)
• Preparing Legumes:
– Best prepared by simmering
– Overnight soak: soaked in water (3 or 4 times their
quantity) , then simmered until tender
– Short soak: boil for 2 min, removed from the heat and
soaked in same water for 1 hour, then simmered
Video Demonstration – Cooking
Dried Beans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz6egUKXsCU
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Changes during Heating
Texture:
– High temperatures gelatinize starch, decrease
bulk by softening
cellulose, and decrease rigidity due to water loss
– Acids (vinegar, tomatoes) make vegetables more
resistant to softening and increase heating times
should be added at the end of cooking time
Flavor:
● To retain flavor, vegetables should be heated in as
Changes during Heating
Odor*:
• Strong odors of cooked cabbage and onion can
be reduced by shortening the heating time,
adding vinegar, or removing the lid
occasionally to let volatile organic acids
escape
Color:
• Acidity (apples, vinegar, lemon juice) prevents
Changes during Heating
Nutrient Retention:
– Should be cooked in as little water as possible
steaming, braising ,baking, microwaving
– Leave the skin on
– Cut vegetables into fewer larger pieces
– Cook just to the point of doneness
• Heating increases the amount of protein
available from legumes (by destroying
protease inhibitors).
Storage
• Most fresh vegetables will last at least 3 days if
refrigerated
• Vegetables with a high % of water (e.g. lettuce,
tomatoes) have shorter storage times than those with
less water content (e.g. potatoes, carrots)
• Because leaves draw moisture from the rest of the
plant, removing the green tops of carrots, radishes, or
beets increases their length of storage.
• Cooked beans will last up to 4 or 5 days in the
refrigerator, and up to 6 months in the freezer.
Special Storage Requirements
• Avocados (in their skin), bananas, unripe tomatoes, and pears are best not
refrigerated.
• Ginger root will keep up to a week at room temperature and for a month in the
refrigerator
• Mushrooms* will keep up to 5 days if refrigerated in a paper bag or basket
• Asparagus lasts longest if treated like flowers and refrigerated with the stem
ends in a jar filled with about 1 inch of water
• Fresh vegetables should not be frozen unless they are first blanched texture
change & undesirable browning
• Dried beans will keep up to a year stored in airtight containers in a dry place
• Potatoes will keep for a couple of weeks at room temperature stored in a
basket or bag with holes
• Onions and potatoes should not be stored next to each other, because they
shorten each other’s shelf life (onions emit ethylene gas which may speed the
ripening/sprouting of potatoes)
Controlled-
Atmosphere Storage
• Controlled atmosphere storage is a commercial
process that extends vegetable shelf life by reducing
02 and increasing CO2 in the surrounding air
reduces a vegetable’s respiration/metabolic rate to
such a degree that lettuce can last up to 75 days.
• Another commercial process that
slows down respiration is coating
vegetables with a thin, edible coating
such as wax.
Fruits
• Fruits are the ripened ovaries and adjacent
parts of a plant’s flowers classified according
to the type of flower from which they develop:
– Simple fruits. Develop from one flower and
include drupes, pomes, and citrus fruits
– Aggregate fruits. Develop from several ovaries in
one flower (e.g. blackberries, raspberries,
strawberries)
– Multiple fruits. Develop from a cluster of several
flowers (e.g. Pineapples and figs)
Composition of Fruits
• Organic acids*:
– Cause most fruits have a pH < 5 (most acidic is
lime juice =PH 2.2)
– Acidity decreases as the fruit ripens
• Pectic substances: (polysaccharides
responsible for firmness)
• Found in fruits (Ripening mechanisms
trigger the pectinase enzymes, which
Purchasing Fruits
• USAD Grading *(voluntary) is based on:
– Size, shape
– Color texture, appearance,
– Ripeness,
– Uniformity
– Freedom of defects
• Nutrient content between the grades does not
differ to any great extent
• The 4 grades for fresh fruit :
Processed Fruits
Canning:
• Commercially, more fruits are canned than are
frozen or dried.
• Most commonly canned fruits: applesauce,
peaches, pineapple, fruit cocktail, cranberries,
pears
• Canned fruits are cooked altered taste and
texture, and less water-soluble vitamins if
cooking juices are not used
Video Demonstration – Preserving
Fruit at Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkbqDqUtzVE
Processed Fruits
• Freezing: color and taste are retained but
texture is altered (softer) e.g. cherries,
strawberries, blueberries
• Drying (<30% water)*: loss of volatile
substances and
softening of cellulose sweeter-tasting fruit
• Fruit Juices: vitamins, preservatives,
Preparation of Fruits
• Changes during Heating
– Cooking alters the taste, texture, color and shape
of fruit this is why fruits are usually consumed
raw
– Fruits should be prepared using a minimum of
water, time, and heat
● Dry-heat: Baking (cakes, muffins, pies), broiling,
frying
Or Moist-heat: stewing/poaching
Preparation of Fruits
Enzymatic browning: can be inhibited by:
• Denaturing enzymes: through blanching (dipping them
briefly in boiling water) however heat causes flavor and
texture loss
• Acid pH : oranges, lemon, lime…
• Cold temperatures: reduce but does not inhibit enzyme
activity
• Coating fruits with sugar or water: protect from exposure
to O2
• Antioxidants: e.g. Vit C
Gelling
Formation of gel requires the
presence of:
• Pectin: occur naturally in fruits, more
pectin (commercial) may
be added to some types of fruits
• Sugar*:
Preparing Fruit Spreads
Steps for
preparing fruit
spreads include:
1. Heat the fruit
(whole or cut) in
small amount of
water*
2. Add sugar and
possibly pectin
&acid.
Video Demonstration - Making Jam
at Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NyPdeJyIVY
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Storage of fresh/canned fruit
• Ripe fruit with a high water content is best if
consumed within 3 days of purchase.
• Conversely, cooled apples will keep for weeks.
• Once fruit is ripe, storage time may be
increased by placing it in plastic bags
punctured with air holes, and then in the
refrigerator
• Bananas are best stored at room temperature*
Specific storage for some fruits
• Cherries: arrange in a single layer between paper towels,
placed in a plastic bag, and refrigerated.
• Dates: weeks at room temperature, up to 1 year in the
refrigerator, and up to 5 years in the freezer.
• Citrus fruit: can be stored at a cool room temperature
(16°C–21°C) or in light refrigeration temperatures (7°C–
9°C) for 2-3 weeks.
• Pineapples. Uncut ripe pineapples can be kept at
room temperature for up 3 days.
• Pomegranates. Ripened pomegranates can be
kept at room temperature but should be
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