Combined Preservation Technologies
for Fruits and Vegetables:

Training Manual

by
Stella Maris Alzamora, Sandra Norma Guerrero, Andrea Bibiana Nieto y Susana Leontina Vidales

Revised and Edited:
Danilo J. Mejía L. Ph.D, AGST Officer

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 2003

Copyright

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All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing and Multimedia Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: copyright@fao.org

© FAO, 2003

The Agricultural and Food Engineering Technologies Service
The Agricultural Support Systems Division
FAOof the U.N.

Table of Contents

Preface

A. FUNDAMENTALS

1. Introduction
2. What is hurdle technology?
3. Applications
4. Criteria for the selection of preservation factors in combination for fruit product development.
4.1. Micro organism associated to fruits
4.2. Deteriorative physico-chemical reactions
4.3. Available infrastructure for manufacturing and storage
4.4. Sensory properties, shelf life and packaging requirements of the products
5. Mayor production techniques for reducing the water availability and/or introducing additives
6. Hurdles used in the development of shelf-stable fruits products.
6.1. Blanching
6.2. Humectants
6.3. Antimicrobials
6.4. Acidulants
7. General flow diagrams for the production of shelf-stable high moisture fruits and intermediate moisture fruits preserved by hurdle technology
7.1. High moisture fruits products (HMFP)
7.2. Intermediate moisture fruits products (IMFP)
8. Calculations involved in the preparation of shelf-stable high moisture fruits and intermediate moisture fruits

B. PRACTICAL EXAMPLES TO FRUITS

1. PRESERVATION OF STRAWBERRY

• Production diagrams for three preservation techniques:

• Shelf-stable whole strawberries of high moisture

• Shelf-stable strawberry purée

• Intermediate moisture whole strawberries

2. PRESERVATION OF PINEAPPLE

Production diagrams for four preservation techniques:

• Shelf-stable pineapple (whole or in slices) of high moisture by moist infusion

• Shelf-stable pineapple (whole or in slices) of high moisture by dry infusion

• Shelf-stable pineapple purée

• Intermediate moisture pineapple

3. PRESERVATION OF PEACH

Production diagrams for four preservation techniques:

• Shelf-stable peach halves of high moisture by moist infusion

• Shelf-stable peach halves of high moisture by dry infusion

• Shelf-stable peach purée

• Intermediate moisture peach

C. RECOMMENDATIONS

D. PROCESSING MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

E. REFERENCES