Three vegetables, spinach, carrot, and bell peppers were blanched conventionally in water and using pulsed microwave at 95 Ϯ Ϯ Ϯ Ϯ Ϯ 2 C. The effect of various parameters like mass of the product, mobility of the product in the microwave field, and physical geometry on the temperature attained was evaluated. The study also included the kinetics of peroxidase inactivation, temperature, and power distribution during microwave blanching. The study highlights the potential application of microwave blanching in reducing the loss of valuable nutrients. The kinetics of peroxidase inactivation indicated that microwave blanching was comparable to water blanching with higher reaction rate in the case of water blanching. The temperature and absorbed power levels during microwave blanching was influenced by the vegetable itself, its quantity, shape, location in the oven, and the microwave power applied.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.