ELEVATED CALCIUM CHLORIDE IN CUCUMBER FERMENTATION BRINE PROLONGS PICKLE PRODUCT CRISPNESS

The effects of treating cucumbers with calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) during fermentation and alum during desalting on changes in crispness of processed pickle mesocarp tissue during storage were determined from probe penetration forces, measurements of sound frequencies and sensory panel ratings. Penetration forces of mesocarp tissues from salt‐stock and desalted pickles that had been treated with CaCl 2 were similarly higher than untreated tissues. After processing and storage, crispness and its retention was significantly correlated to the amount of residual Ca ++ . A high level of crispness was retained during 52 weeks of storage in only the tissues containing elevated residual Ca ++ (1,248 and 1,490 ppm). Tissues containing 96 ppm Al +++ and 655 ppm Ca ++ were substantially crisper than tissues with less than 900 ppm Ca ++ and without Al +++ ; however, retention of crispness was better in tissues containing elevated Ca ++ . It is concluded that alum can be replaced by elevating residual Ca ++ . PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Augmenting calcium chloride in cucumber fermentation brines to increase the residual concentration of Ca ++ in the processed pickle product provides manufacturers the opportunity to improve retention of crispness without using alum. Elimination of Al +++ without compromising texture should improve marketability of products, since Al +++ is objectionable to some distributors and consumers.