A Brief Introduction To Frozen Vegetable Technology

Frozen vegetable preserving is an old method used to preserve, preparing and ship fresh vegetables for immediate consumption. The frozen vegetable preserving is a relatively new vegetable processing technique, first appeared in America sometime in the 1930s. Compared to other preserving and storage techniques, it preserves the originality of fresh vegetable, retains nutrient value and taste. A variety of methods are available to make the frozen vegetables retain their freshness. This process is mostly used in commercial food production and handling.

During the early years of this frozen food processing technique, the main vegetables used were potato slices, carrots, celery and green beans. However, due to the popularity of this product, browning value of these vegetables became a very important factor for vegetable processors. In fact, in the early 60s, this frozen vegetable preserving was first introduced in Japan, Korea and other Asian countries. It was then brought to America through the World Wide Web and since then, the process has become more popular.

There are various factors involved in the freezing of vegetable slices. One of the main factors was the selection of the vegetable. Typically, the vegetables were chosen based on their suitability to this process of frozen processing. Generally, the choice of vegetable that needs the least amount of blanching time is the potato slices.

Potatoes have a high content of water, which is why they are good candidates for the use of the blanching or browning technique. For some reasons, these potatoes are able to maintain their shape after being frozen. They are also highly regarded because of their rich vitamin content, including beta carotene and folic acid. Potatoes, especially those that are in the russet shape, are known to have a high level of moisture in them. Because of this, their ability to retain shape after the blanching process becomes much faster than the other vegetables that are not blanched.

For some reason, the ability of some vegetables to retain shape seems to be affected by the amount of time spent on the process of blanching. In general, the longer the blanching time, the lower the ability of the vegetable to retain its shape. The lower the amount of time spent on the process, the greater amount of the water that is retained in the potato and as the blanching time increases, the ability of the potato to retain its shape decreases. Therefore, when the process of blanching begins, the first thing that is noticed is the change in texture of the potato slices after they are frozen. The texture may be hard and lumpy or it may be semi-solid and with a gray color.

One interesting fact that is brought about by the increased use of this technology is the reduced fat content of the product. As the blanching time increases, the amount of VSC that is released in the potato chips decreases because as the enzyme inactivates, more of the VSC is converted into L-Glutamic acid. This results in reduced levels of the glycemic index in the product and therefore helps in controlling the blood sugar level. The glycemic index is known to be very sensitive to varying food items and therefore, the blanching time has a direct bearing on the effect that it will have on the blood sugar level of the consumers. It can therefore be said that this frozen treat technology is proving to be a boon for many in need of a healthier snack option.