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EXERCISE 2
Freezing of Apple

I. Introduction
Apple is one of the most important fruits in the food processing industry. About 37% of apples
sold in the global market are processed and of this percentage, 2.7% is frozen (Root and Barrett,
2003). Freezing is one of the simplest and most convenient methods for storing fruits and vegetables
over long periods of time. It is often considered as superior to canning and dehydration since it has
greater retention in terms of sensory and nutritive properties (Barbosa-Cánovas et al., 2005). Its
principle of preservation is based on lowering the temperature of the product to -18 °C or below
where growth of most spoilage microorganisms is generally retarded (Dawson et al., 2020). Microbial
growth inhibition can be attributed to the lowering of water activity when water in a product separates
from other food components to form ice crystals (Biglia et al., 2016). Freezing also slows down
enzymatic and non enzymatic reactions in the product, hence preserving some of its sensory properties
such as appearance and flavor (Bartolomé et al., 1995). However, since enzymes are not inactivated
by freezing, products are still prone to uncharacteristic changes. Hence, there is a recent surge in the
use of pretreatments such as citrus juice and ascorbic acid before freezing as these can control
enzymatic activity, giving the end-product better sensory and nutritive properties (PSU, 2018).
In this exercise, two sets of apple slices were frozen for seven days. One was pretreated with
ascorbic acid while the other one served as the control. This was conducted in order to achieve the
following:
1. evaluate and discuss the sensory attributes of pretreated and control samples of frozen
apples;
2. discuss the preservation method/s used in freezing; and
3. elucidate the differences between freezing fruits and vegetables.

II. Methodology
Listed in Table 1 are the materials and ingredients used for the freezing of apples.

Table 1. List of materials used in the freezing preparation.

Materials

One piece of apple Chopping board

1000 mg ascorbic acid Knife

Water Two containers

Measuring spoons Tong

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Preparation for Freezing of Apple

The apple was first washed with clean water to remove contaminants and dirt particles and
was then peeled and sliced into moderately sized pieces. The apple slices were divided into two sets.
One set of apples were pretreated with 1,000 mg ascorbic acid and 3 tablespoons of water. The
surfaces of the apples were thoroughly coated with the pretreatment solution. The other set of slices
served as the control. The appearance, taste, and texture of the fresh apple slices were also evaluated
first. Then, all samples were put into the freezer for 7 d. Between the 7-d freezing period, one sample
from each set was thawed for at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 for 4 h. After thawing, the control and pretreated
samples were then evaluated for their appearance, taste, and texture.

Washing Slicing Pretreating

SENSORY
EVALUATION
(Days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7)

Freezing
Fig. 1. Process flow of freezing apples.
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III. Results and Discussion

Shown in Table 2 are the sensory attributes of apple slices (control and pretreated with
ascorbic acid) after a 4-hour thawing during the seven-day storage period.

Table 2. Sensory attributes of frozen apples with and without pretreatment.

Frozen Apple Attributes Days

 01357

Fresh Sample ----

Appearance Whitish Yellow sweet and
sour
Taste Bland apple --------
flavor,
slightly

Texture Crunchy - - - -

W/out
Pretreatment
Appearance - with accent
Brown, with yellow
accent yellow accent
Sour at first bite Slightly tart
Very
mildly
Taste - Slightly Sour at first bite sweet
sour, bland Light apple flavor
apple flavor Soft
Mealy Soft
Soft Lots of Mealy
Mealy dripping Lots of
Texture - Soft Mealy Lots of Brown with very dripping
Lots of dripping light yellow
dripping Brown,
Brown, with light yellow
4

W/
Pretreatment
Appearance Whitish yellow
- Whitish yellow Pale yellow Pale yellow
Mealy Slightly tart Mildly
Slightly tart apple sweet
Taste - Tarty apple flavor Slightly
flavor sweet
Soft Soft
Soft Mealy Mealy
Mealy Tart
Texture - Soft
 Results show that the pretreated slices and control slices exhibited no perceived difference in
terms of taste and texture. They share similar flavors such as tart and slightly apple sweet, but
compared to the fresh sample, it can be said that over time the flavors have become less perceived.
Compared to the texture of the fresh sample that is crunchy, both thawed slices are observed to be soft
and mealy. In short, loss of texture is also highly observed. In terms of appearance, however, the
control slices exhibited browning after thawing, whereas the pretreated slices retained the pale
yellowish color of the fresh/frozen slices. All of these observations have been consistent over the
seven-day storage period.

Principle of Preservation
These findings can be linked to the processing method applied – that is, freezing. The
principle of freezing is based on stopping the enzymatic activity and inhibiting spoilage
microorganisms to preserve both sensory and shelf-life properties. These are achieved by storing the
fruit at -18 °C or below. During freezing, the liquid content in fruits or vegetables turns into ice
crystals, which protect them from deteriorative factors such as water (promotes bacterial growth) and
high temperature (speeds up enzymatic activity). However, enzymes cannot be inactivated by
freezing alone, which means that fruits are still susceptible to browning. Hence, pretreatments are
applied to control enzymatic activity, even after thawing.

Appearance
As observed, pretreated slices exhibited a much higher retention of color compared to the
control slices. The browning of the control slices can be attributed to the speeding up of enzymatic
reactions due to thawing. In these reactions, the principal enzyme involved, polyphenol oxidase
(PPO), catalyzes the oxidation of phenolics into o-quinones, which condense to form melanin
pigments and thereby causing browning (Zhu et al., 2007). The optimum pH range where these
reactions can occur is at 6-7 (Mizobutsi et al., 2010). The addition of ascorbic acid to the slices slows
down these reactions by reducing the pH to 3 and below (Zhou et al., 2020). And as observed, there
are no signs of PPO activity observed in the pretreated slices. One of the most important bases for
quality of frozen products is their color. Several measures have been taken to retain the fresh color of
products. Pretreatment is already known as such. The results of this exercise only further prove that
use of pretreatments is an effective measure in preserving color in frozen apples or other fruits and
vegetables.

Texture
For the textural quality of frozen apples, the loss of crunchiness and the development of soft
and mealy textures can be linked to the freezing itself. The rigidity of the cell structure or simply the
firm texture of fruits are dependent on the water content and dissolved solutes inside the cells
(Barbosa Cánovas et al., 2005). During freezing, the solidification of liquid water in the form of ice
crystals and their migration from the food can damage the cell structure integrity of the fruit. The cell
membrane of the fruit can collapse and cannot regain their original shape (Biglia et al., 2016).
Piercing of ice crystals to the membrane also reduces the turgor pressure and firmness/crunchiness of
samples (Antal et al., 2013). In a study by Sirijariyawat and Charoenrein (2012), it was found out that
during the compression of the damaged tissue layers, no turgor force was observed. Turgor force is
the force within the cells that supports the expansion of cell walls. An observation of no turgor force
means that the cell membranes had been damaged well. This damage is particularly high in fruits with
high moisture content since more water can freeze and modify the rigidity of the cell walls (Said et
al., 2016). With a moisture content of 80-85.9%, frozen apples are highly susceptible to loss of
firmness/crunchiness. This is also evident in one study wherein it was found out that among four
different frozen-thawed fruits, apples which exhibited the highest moisture content showed the
highest decrease in firmness as well after thawing (Sirijariyawat and Charoenrein, 2012). Loss of
texture is said to be a natural occurrence in frozen fruits or vegetables. To make the apples retain a
little of their firm texture, it is recommended to serve them before they are thawed or apply quick
freezing (with a thermal arrest less than 30 mins) as it yields smaller and evenly distributed crystals in
the cells, hence damage is lesser and commodities can retain their original shape (Biglia et al., 2016).

Taste
In terms of taste, the loss of flavors in both pretreated and control samples as the days
increased can also be attributed to the freezing. Since during freezing, water may move out of the cell
and with it may carry other flavor compounds and can be lost in the process. Additionally, it is also
said that flavor compounds may blend in such a way that the overall flavor would become less
distinct (Hurley, 2011). In frozen fruits, the basis for poor quality is the development of off-flavors
(Barbosa-Cánovas et al., 2005). However, this was not observed in this exercise, hence it is safe to
say that the slices are still of good quality. Retention of flavor is dependent on the type of fruit used.
Fruits high in moisture usually lose some of their fruit flavors during freezing (Gururaj et al., 2019).
Just like texture, this is a natural occurrence. To cope with the loss of flavors, it is recommended to
add artificial sweeteners before freezing or serving time to at least enhance flavor quality.

Frozen Fruits Vs. Frozen Vegetables

Freezing is heavily influenced by the moisture content of the plant material. Commodities
with high moisture content are generally more susceptible to quality losses since resulting textures
and flavors, as discussed, depend on water – its crystal-formation and its migration from the food. A
lot of fruits and vegetables have high moisture content. However, it is generally known that most
fruits (e. g., strawberries, apples, pineapples) that are commercially frozen have higher moistures
compared to other frozen-processed vegetables (e. g., carrots, corn, peas, sprouts) (Dauthy, 1995). In
general, but not applicable to all, fruits are more prone to losses in sensory qualities, particularly in
texture and flavor. In terms of color, both fruits and vegetables contain enzymes that can cause
discoloration. However, there are already set methods to prevent discoloration. Fruits can be
pretreated with vitamin C, while vegetables can be blanched before freezing (Dziki, 2020). All
measures can effectively slow down enzymatic reactions and thereby preventing browning. So
overall, it is generally seen that vegetables could have better resistance against textural and flavor
changes compared to fruits, while in terms of color, both already have established measure for a good
retention of fresh quality color.

IV. Results and Discussion

Freezing of apples may preserve the shelf-life, but it cannot preserve all the sensory qualities
of fresh produce. Although color was retained in the pretreated slices, it was still found that texture
and flavor losses were evident for all samples, with or without pretreatment. Texture loss and flavor
loss were attributed to the formation of ice crystals and migration of water out of the frozen-thawed
fruit
respectively. Both were considered as a natural occurrence. Quality loss can be mitigated by using
quick freezing to minimize textural changes and the addition of artificial flavors to cover the flavors
lost during freezing and thawing.
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References

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