EXPERIMENT 3

EFFECTS OF BLANCHING ON VEGETABLES

AIM

 To determine the effects of using hot water and steam blanching on texture and colour of
vegetables.

INTRODUTION
Blanching is a heat treatment that is commonly carried out to inactivate enzymes in fruits and
vegetables before the unit operations of sterilization, dehydration or freezing. Besides that,
blanching is also used to reduce microbial load on surface of fruits and vegetables, remove
intercellular gases, preheat the materials, soften the products and stop respiration as well as
microwave[CITATION Qua16 \l 1033 ]. Water blanching and steam blanching are examples of
blanching methods that can be applied on food materials. In comparison with steam blanching,
water blanching gives a more uniform results on food materials. Blanching of food involves the
heating of food rapidly to a predetermined temperature and holding it for a specified time before
being cooled rapidly to ambient temperature and undergo next processing. However, since
blanching requires the application of heat, which may inactivate some of the enzymes in the food
materials, it may result in changes in the organoleptic qualities of the food materials in terms of
color, texture, aroma, and taste[ CITATION Pow09 \l 1033 ]. While blanching has many benefits in
food production, it can also cause some undesirable changes in food materials, such as the loss of
heat-sensitive nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, color changes, the loss of volatile
compounds responsible for flavor and aroma, and the loss of firmness of the food materials
Controlling the blanching parameters is important for controlling and preserving the qualities of
the blanched food. The types and sizes of food materials, the blanching temperature, and the
blanching process all have an effect on the quality of blanched products. The effects of blanching
medium and time on the texture and color of green vegetables were investigated in this
experiment.

MATERIALS
Apparatus: Reagents:
2 Boiling pots Tap water samples
2 Small plastic buckets Sodium Bicarbonate
Hot plate
Stopwatch
Colander
8 samples of fresh green beans
METHODS
Hot water blanching
1. Water was poured into the 2 boiling pots and placed on a hotplate to heat it until it boils.
2. After the water was boiled it was poured in the 2 small plastic buckets.
3. A table spoon of Sodium bicarbonate was added to one bucket containing boiled water.
4. Vegetable samples were placed in four equal groups for this hot water blanching method.
5. One group of sample of vegetables was placed in the boiled water containing sodium
bicarbonate and left for 90 seconds.
6. Another group of sample was placed in the boiled water without sodium bicarbonate for
90s as well.
7. Thereafter, step 5 and 6 was repeated now using 180 seconds with the remaining two
groups of samples.
8. The changes in colour and texture of the samples were observed and recorded.
Steaming blanching
1. Step 1 of hot water blanching above was repeated for steam blanching.
2. A table spoon of Sodium bicarbonate was added to one pot after water was still boiling.
3. A colander was now placed at the top of the pot containing boiled water.
4. Samples were also grouped in four equal parts.
5. One sample was placed in a colander with a pot containing water with sodium
bicarbonate for 90 seconds
6. Another samples were placed in a colander with a pot containing water without sodium
bicarbonate for 90 seconds as well.
7. Step 5 and 6 was repeated now using 180 seconds with the remaining 2 samples
8. The changes in colour and texture after the time elapsed was observed and recorded.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The results after observation were recorded in a table below:
Table 1: Observed results from all experimental trials

HOT WATER STEAM

Time (s) Texture Colour Texture Colour
SODA 90 Soft Dark green Soft Dark green
180 Softer Darker green Softer Darker green
NO 90 Soft Darker green Soft Darker green
SODA 180 Softer Dark green Softer Dark green

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From the table above,
Firstly, on vegetables which was blanched in hot water without sodium bicarbonate (No Soda), it
was observed that those that were blanched for 180 seconds tend to be softer than those that were
only blanched for 90 seconds. This was because heat destroys the cell walls that provide an
elastic support for the cells. Scientifically, most green vegetables contain significant amount of
hemicellulose which provides strength to their cell wall structures and this hemicellulose is
solubilized during heating which then causes texture to change to become soft[ CITATION Suw15 \l
1033 ]. On colour of the vegetables, it was darker on those blanched for 90 seconds than those
blanched for 180 seconds. The colour was changing from darker to a little bit light because hot
water destroys chlorophyll. Scientifically, when green vegetables are heated, part of their cells is
disrupted and some organic acids are released which then react with chlorophyll. This reaction
results in chlorophyll (green) changing to pheophytin which is normally olive green [ CITATION
Koc13 \l 1033 ].

Now for those that were blanched using steam and without sodium bicarbonate (no soda), the
result was almost the same with those of hot water with slight difference on the softness of the
texture and the brightness of the colour. Steam blanching resulted in little softness change as
compared to hot water blanching in all the times (90 and 180 seconds) and the same with colour
where small change was observed from being dark green at 90 seconds and turning a little darker
at 180 seconds.
Looking at the hot water blanching with sodium bicarbonate (soda), the colour changed from
being dark green at 90 seconds to being a little bit darker at 180 seconds. The same also
happened in steam blanching with difference in the brightness of the colour (brighter in water
than in steam). The difference occurred because in hot water, vegetables are directly in contact
with water hence more exposed to heat than in steam [CITATION Qua16 \l 1033 ]. On texture, the
presence of sodium bicarbonate exhibited the poorest texture of the vegetables than on neutral
water with respect to time (more soft at 180 secs than at 90 secs). Scientifically, the reaction
between chlorophyll and sodium bicarbonate results in the replacement of methyl alcohol and
phytol alcohol groups with sodium ions. The resulted derivative is a chlorophyllin which is a
bright green pigment[ CITATION Koc13 \l 1033 ]. The removal of phytol alcohol group from
chlorophyll causes the chlorophyllin water soluble which upon heating the chlorophyll is leached
from the vegetables into the water[ CITATION Kau18 \l 1033 ].

CONCLUSION
Using hot water and steam blanching methods, it was shown that blanching has an effect on the
color and texture of vegetables at the end of the experiment. The softness of the vegetables rises
with the amount of time spent in hot water and steam blanching. Blanching softens vegetable
tissues to make filling containers easier and removes air from intercellular spaces, raising food
density and assisting in the creation of a can head-space vacuum. It also helps to minimize the
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amount of contaminating microorganisms on the surface of foods, which helps with subsequent
preservation procedures (Fellows, 2000). This is especially true in heat sterilization, where the
processing time and temperature are set to achieve a precise reduction in cell numbers. If the
food is not blanched before storage, it will acquire undesirable sensory characteristics and
nutritional properties. When it comes to canning, the time it takes to reach sterilizing
temperatures, particularly in large cans, may be enough to allow enzyme activity to occur. As a
consequence, blanching foods is required prior to these preservation procedures (Fellows, 2000).
From the experiment, using steam blanching is better than using hot water blanching. This is
because in steam blanching there is little waste disposal as the water can be used to steam a
number of vegetables than in hot water where you have to change the water every time you are
doing another trial. In addition to that, steam blanching retains the colour of the vegetables than
in hot water blanching.
During the experiment some errors were likely to occur. These errors include poor measurement
of water with respect to experimental trials which can affect the amount of steam produced, the
concentration of sodium bicarbonate in the water and also the time taken to cool down. Colour
blindness, poor measurements of sodium bicarbonate and also the ratio of amount of sodium
bicarbonate to volume of water are also other error which likely occurred. These errors were
categorized as human parallax and they may be led to the slightly different colours and texture of
the vegetables among the different trials of the experiment.

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References
Fellows, P. J. (2000). Food processing technology principles and practice. Washington DC:
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Kaur, N., Aggarwal, P., & Rajput, H. (2018). Effects of different blanching treatment on
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Koca, N., Karadeniz, F., & Burdurlu, H. S. (2007). Effects of pH on chlorophyll degradation and
colour loss in blanched green peas. Journal of food chemistry, 609-615.
Powers, C. (2009). Culinary techniques for healthy school meals. University MS: National food
service management institute.
Quarcoo, P. C., & D, W.-M. F. (2016). The effects of steam and hot water blanching on some
quality attributes of cocoyam leaf. MOJ Food Processing and Technology, 164-168.
Suwan, P. (2015). Effects of blanching on color, texture and sodium chloride content during
storage time of frozen vegetables soybean modeling for commecial scale. Dissertation,
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Chimimba, U. (2021). Lecturer 3a & 3b: [Power point presentation]. Blantyre, Malawi,
University of Malawi.