Turgor pressure effects on textural behaviour of honeydew melon.

ROJAS A.M., CASTRO M.A., ALZAMORA S.M. Y GERSCHENSON L.N.

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE

IFT (Institute of Food Technologists).

Lugar: Suite 300, 221 N. La Salle St., Chicago, IL 60601.; Año: 2001 vol. 66 p. 111 - 117

0022-1147

Abstract: Melon samples were equilibrated with solutions of increasing mannitol concentration in the range 0.00 to 0.80 M for the purpose of evaluating turgor pressure through volume change measurement. Melon compression and relaxation behaviors were evaluated with an Instron Testing Machine, and structural characteristics were observed through microscopy. Immersion in mannitol solutions affected tissue firmness, reducing its value in all studied cases. After plasmolysis and plasmoptysis, samples became less elastic and more viscous, and firmness reduced more than 50%. Textural parameters obtained and microscopy results indicated that, in general, fracture might be associated with cell-wall integrity, and residual relaxation force might be associated with tissue turgor pressure.