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The morphological changes produced in cauliflower stems during pickling, and their relationship to texture parameters
Author(s) -
SAXTON C. A.,
JEWELL G. G.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1969.tb01532.x
Subject(s) - turgor pressure , plasmolysis , pickling , protoplast , cell wall , chemistry , biophysics , brine , botany , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Summary. The changes in morphology and texture which occur during the pickling of cauliflower have been studied using the electron microscope and Instron Universal testing rig. It has been shown that the marked changes in the texture parameters, hardness, elasticity and cohesion, during the initial 24 hr in brine, correlate with plasmolysis of the tissue and re‐organization of cell wall materials. At the end of the 1st week in brine, with the disruption of the protoplast, the only intact organelles were the spherosomes. the cell walls became extremely thin in the pit field regions, and it was to these areas that the spherosomes tended to migrate. the disruption of the spherosomes, during the 4th week in brine, with the possible release of hydrolytic enzymes may have contributed to the further weakening of the cell wall. The use of electron histochemical stains has permitted the demonstration of the gradual degradation of pectic substances, resulting in enlarged intercellular spaces and a decrease in tissue cohesion. By staining neutral polysaccharides, it has been shown that the cell wall materials are not degraded to a marked extent and hence would add little to the sugars available for bacterial fermentation. The increase in crispness, said to arise from freshening and acidification, is not just a simple recovery in turgor pressure, since the protoplast plasmalemma quickly loses its semi‐permeable characteristics and is later destroyed. However, an enhancement of elasticity and tissue cohesion has been demonstrated by using freshening solutions containing 2500 ppm calcium.