Contribution of Periderm Material and Blanching Time to the Quality of Pasteurized Peach Puree

Abstract

Fresh peaches were blanched for either a long (20 min) or short (2 min) time, with and without periderm material. Samples were then macerated into purees and pasteurized in boiling water for 30 min. Samples were subsequently stored at 40 degrees C for 4 weeks to determine physicochemical and sensory changes affecting overall quality and nutritional content. Purees containing periderm had higher antioxidant activity (AOX) and individual phenolic acid content after processing and storage, with good correlation to AOX observed with chlorogenic acid (r = 0.82). Long blanch times resulted in increased levels of extraction and retention of both total soluble phenolics and ascorbic acid. Quantitative descriptive analysis demonstrated increased aromatic perception of skin in samples containing periderm material, but the remaining sensory attributes were indistinguishable between treatments. Macerating peaches without periderm removal was demonstrated to increase levels of bioactive phytochemicals and increase the processing yield by 7. 6%, without significantly impacting product quality, color, or sensory attributes.