TITLE: THE PROCESSING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PICKLES OBJECTIVE Preparing pickles for fruits and vegetables to study

the effect of temperature in terms of its aroma, texture and color. INTRODUCTION Food preservation is any treatments or processing activities which can extend the shelf life of food to a longer period than normal. Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent food borne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. It is important to preserve food because preservation extends foods shelf life in a suitable form. It also develop value added products and variety in diet and also make adequate nutrients needed by the body. The first principle used in food preservation is to avoid or slow down spoilage or decomposition from micro organism. This can be done by destroying the microbes with heating, prohibit microbes growth and its activities and through aseptic processing. The second principle is to avoid or slow down self-decomposition in food for example in fruits or vegetables. This is due to the enzyme that will cause the food deteriorate. For making enzyme inactive, the foods are stored in chill or cold room. To destroy enzymes, technique can be used is by blanching. Last but not least, the third principle is to avoid spoilage by insects, rodents and other animals. This can easily do if a person care in hygiene and sanitation and always be good in housekeeping.

Food preservation technique can be divided into four categories. First of all, the physical approach for food preservation that can be used that is by increasing the energy level temporary, for example, preservation with high temperatures such as sterilization, pasteurization and canning and also food radiation. Next is by controlling reduction in food temperature by chilling and freezing. Besides that, the approach can be used is by controlling reduction in water activity. The water activity can be controlled by drying, osmosis, and membrane filtering. Other than that, the approach is by the usage of proper packaging material. For instance is the usage of modified atmosphere packaging which described by the practice of modifying the composition of the internal atmosphere of a package in order to improve the shelf life. Besides that, canning also can be used to preserve food. Besides, the approach is by concerning on aseptic processing and technique. Aseptic processing is the process by which a sterile product is packaged in a sterile container in a way which maintains sterility. We can also eliminate microbes with the use of ultrafilter. Second technique is by using some chemical preservation. The use of chemicals in food processing to prolonged the shelf life. This includes chemicals such as sugar, salt, anti-microbes. Third technique is by biological preservation including alcohol and acid fermentation. This method will allow microbes to produces chemicals that functions as preservatives such as in the making of pickles and sauerkraut. Lastly is by the combination of several preservation techniques.

MATERIALS AND INSTRUMENTS 1. Guava 2. Acetic acid 3. Calcium Chloride 4. Sugar 5. Plastic bag 6. Distilled water 7. Beaker 8. Cutting board 9. Balancer 10. Knife 11. Hot plate

METHODS Firstly, the guava that we need to blanch was washed cleanly. Then the guava was peeled and cut in cube shape with the width 1cm3. The cube shapes guava is then divided into three parts. One part is raw while the second part was boiled at 80oC and the third part of guava was boiled at 100oC. After that, the guava was soaked in the salt water with the 12% concentration for a week. While the process of soaking, the guava was pressed with the water containing in the plastic bag. After one week, the guava was taken out and then immersed in the Calcium Chloride with the 0.4% in concentration. The water with the sugar concentration of 40% was heated. After that, the vinegar and the 0.2% Calcium Chloride was added into the guava and the cooled to 70oC. Then, the guava was arranged in the clean and dry bottle until full and then closed tightly. The bottle was then heated in the boiling water for 6 minutes. Then, we observe the aroma, texture and color of the guava.

RESULTS Guava (heated) Aroma Color Texture Raw No aroma Greenish-yellow Hard 800C (5 min) Sour Greenish-yellow Medium hard 1000C (5 min) Sour Greenish-yellow Smooth

DISCUSSION In our experiment, many type of technique applied to preserve fruits and vegetable. This experiment the preservation of guava has being done by blanching, peeling and cutting, heating, salting, storage, and water-bath. Usually blanching are suitable to be do for vegetable and fruits. There are some factor that can influence the blanching process which is type of fruits and vegetables, size of the pieces of food, blanching temperature, and the method of heating. As the result, the raw guava has given no aroma, change into yellow wilt colour and still have the hard texture when being eaten. For the guava that being blanching over 80o Celsius in temperature has change its aroma which has more sour compare to the raw guava. The colour also changes into yellowish after blanching. Besides, the texture was smoother after bites. For the guava which use blanching temperature at 100o Celsius has more aroma of sourness than guava at 80o Celsius. Then, the colour also turns into yellowish while, the texture was smoother than the guava at 80o Celsius.

1. What is the purpose of blanching before others process? The purpose of blanching in preservation of foods before the others process was to denature the enzyme. Its helps to reduce oxidation process of the guava and extend the shelf-life of the fruit. Besides that, the blanching process also helps to soften the texture of vegetable and fruits. In this experiment, the higher temperature until 100 o Celsius, has more soften the texture of the guava. This blanching also help to facilitate during canning process is done toward preservation of fruit and vegetable during packaging. 2. What is the function of calcium chloride in the pickling process? In the experiment, we only use small amount in calcium chloride. It is actually help to protect the pigment colour of chlorophyll, but from our observation the calcium chloride was not work efficiently thus the colour become wilt after being blanching. The calcium chloride also helps to give and stain the salty flavour after we put salt and store the guava after one day. Other than that, it also help to give firm texture to the fruits and vegetables and also help to extend the shelf life and reduce the optimum condition for microbial activity and also prevent them to grow. In addition, the calcium chloride also increases the quality of nutritional of the fruits and vegetables. In other hand, the calcium chloride also helps to neutralize the sodium alkalinity in the water that being used. Last but not least, the calcium chloride also inhibits the formation of acrylamide during processing, because this formation of acrylamide might be dangerous production in foods industry.

3. Explain the main principles that involve in this experiment. There were a few principles that been used in preservation of fruits and vegetable. In this experiment of guavas preservation, we have been instructed to do blanching, salting, cooling or storage, and water bath. These principles play an important role for the preservation of fruits and vegetables in foods industry. First of all the blanching is done by using temperature at 80o Celsius and 100o Celsius. The high temperature actually causing the denature process of enzyme in fruits and vegetables. Besides, it also causing the fruits and vegetables to lost their colours pigment. Secondly is salting. Salting actually is the type of preservation which reduced the pH value of foods to prevent microorganism for growth. Then, the cooling or storage in 24hours also use to help increase the absorption of salt water and sugar water which improve the moisture content by osmotic pressure in the fruits and also produce the good taste of the preserved fruit. Lastly is the water bath after the 24hours storage. This water bath is the last process that been done. The function of the water bath is actually to kill any microorganism that left during all the processed been done. The water bath is done in a few minute due to prevent disturbance of texture and the enzyme in the fruits. This water bath is suitable to be done for acidic foods in preservation. These important principles are connected to each other which help to improve the quality foods product. Precaution steps must be done during preservation because it can extend more life time of foods, also prevent the easiness of microbial activity to grow and produce the processed foods with high nutrition content. Firstly, each fruit or vegetables must
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not being over heating during blanching due to it will denature all enzyme and producing over softness texture of fruits and vegetables. Then, after the guava being put with salt water, water must be cover on top of the immersed fruit which help the fruit to be absorbed fully the salt water because the guava was at floating condition. In addition, the guava then been added with sugar during preservation because help to develop sweet flavour for commercial taste. It is also functioned to maintain moisture content in the fruit. We also have done size reduction during preservation process. The type of size reduction that been used was cutting method. The cutting method is used to increase the surface area of the fruit with increase the quality of salt and sugar absorption and also reduce time taken of preservation of foods. Other than that, the acetic acid or vinegar being put which help to kill microorganism which may still exist during the process. This step precaution must be done to increase the quality of food products. CONCLUSION The preservation of fruits and vegetables were done successfully. The sensory attributes were made to compare the characteristics of the preserved fruits in terms of its aroma, texture, color and odor. REFERENCE PJ Fellows. 2000. Food Processing Technology; Principle and Practice 2nd Edition. CRC Press; Boca Raton, USA