One of the objectives of immersion frying is to remove water from the food. Thus, predicting moisture loss is important when developing a model for that process. With the aim to model moisture transfer during apple frying, Granny Smith apple slabs were processed at 140, 150, 160, and 170 C. The moisture diffusivity was computed, ranging between 10.7 Á 10 À9 and 17.7 Á 10 À9 m 2 Á s À1 . There was a close fit between the model and the experimental data (average %var 99.0). Model validation was carried out considering different slice thickness. Temperature influence was interpreted by the Arrhenius relationship with an activation energy of 25.4 kJ Á mol À1.
Actualmente los pasabocas fritos tienen gran demanda por parte de los consumidores colombianos, sin embargo cuentan con alto contenido de aceite, que disminuye la vida útil del producto y su aceptabilidad sensorial. Una alternativa para reducir el contenido de aceite, puede ser el uso de hidrocoloides como recubrimientos comestibles. La aplicación de recubrimientos de goma Guar, CMC y goma Xanthan al 1,2% fue adecuada para reducir el contenido de aceite en 43%, 31% y 23.34% respectivamente. Por otra parte, de acuerdo a la aplicación del diseño central compuesto rotable para el recubrimiento con goma Guar, las mejores condiciones de operación ocurrieron con una concentración de goma Guar de 1,4 % y un tiempo de 90 segundos, cuando las rodajas de plátano se someten a unas condiciones de fritura por inmersión de 180 °C y 3 minutos. Por lo tanto, los pasabocas de plátano recubiertos mantienen una buena calidad con bajo contenido de aceite, representando un producto más atractivo a los consumidores.
The objective of this work was to estimate the expectation of change in sensory properties of fruits by analyzing the different choice criteria at purchase and consumption occasions. Bananas were taken as a case study, evaluated with consumers from Argentina, Ecuador, and Spain. A set of 10 digital images of bananas ranging from totally green to overly ripe were first submitted to a trained panel to ensure there were significant differences between them on a ripening scale. These images were then presented to 300 consumers in total from Argentina, Ecuador, and Spain. Consumers assessed each image choosing between under‐ripe, ok, or over‐ripe; considering two different occasions: when purchasing the bananas and when consuming the bananas in their homes. Based on hue‐angle measurements, survival analysis statistics were applied to estimate the optimum ripening indexes (ORI). ORI for purchase occasions were lower than for home consumption occasions, that is, bananas are bought greener, with the expectation that they would ripen to the adequate stage in the period between purchase and consumption. There were also differences between the ORI estimated over the three countries. On average, Argentine consumers preferred riper bananas than Ecuador or Spanish consumers.
Practical applications
For certain fruits, such as bananas shown in this study, consumers consciously choose or ask for a not totally ripe product with the expectation that it will reach optimum ripeness on the consumption occasion. Retail stores should consider this fact in marketing their products providing recommendations for consumers, such as “keep at room temperature and consume after 2 or 3 days”; or “we recommend you consume this melon today.” For the particular case of bananas, the current commercial chart used to estimate banana maturity based on sensory appearance would not always be adequate. This work provides a range of maturation based on consumer input, both for purchase and home‐consumption situations. These ranges could serve as a guide for retail stores that sell bananas in different countries.
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