After vacuum impregnation of 13 apple cultivars:
quercetin content
ranged between 368 and 604 μg/g dry
matter. Quercetin
glycosides were introduced to apple tissue by Schulze et al. (2012)
Increase by 0.36 log for Saccharomycescerevisiae, 0.73
log for Lactobacillus acidophilus and 1.07 log for Phomaglomerata for
vacuum impregnated sample in comparison to soaking sample. The authors applied
vacuum fortification of tissue at different pressure levels, in each case
obtaining the level of bacteria over 107 CFU/g. Rodriguez (1998) applied vacuum
impregnation with isotonic sugar solutions supplemented with Saccharomycescerevisiae,
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Phomaglomerata.
over 106 CFU/g Lactobacillus casei in air
dried (40 °C) product. Betoret et al.
(2003) applied vacuum impregnation of apples with apple juice supplemented with Saccharomycescerevisiae or milk
inoculated with Saccharomycescerevisiae and
Lactobacillus casei
After vacuum impregnation:109 CFU/gof tissue. The
matrix consisted of cylindrical pieces of Granny Smith apples. The author
applied one vacuum pulse at five levels of pressure and soaking in thesame
solutions with no vacuum application. In the case of vacuum impregnation, the
author observed a microbial growth rate higher by 0.36 log for S. cerevisiae, 0.73
log for L. acidophilus and 1.07 in the case of P. glomerata in
comparison to soaked samples. A significant effect of the content of extract in
the impregnating solution on the level of microorganisms introduced to the
tissue was found in most of the presented studies. The best results were
obtained during the application of isotonic or almost isotonic solutions. The
use of hypo- and hypertonic solutions resulted in significantly lower levels of
microorganisms in the final product. Most of the conducted studies present
vacuum impregnation as an effective tool in the production of probiotic food
based on the matrix of fruit and vegetable materials, as an alternative to
dairy products. At the same time, a significant aspect is also associated with
the method of fruit and vegetable tissue preservation after the introduction of
microorganisms, facilitating the maintenance of their high levels in the final
product. The most frequently used method in this respect, with potentially the
greatest applicability, is drying, particularly air drying and freeze-drying. Noorbakhsh et al.
(2013) introduced bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus to the
tissue of apple slices together with apple juice diluted withwater at
a 1:1 ratio (pH 5–5.2).
After vacuum impregnation: fruits
enriched with Ca2+ and Fe2+ ions respectively. Fito et al.
(2001) applied vacuum impregnation to introduce calcium and iron ions to the
tissue of sliced eggplant and orange rind, similarly as it was in a study by
Barrera et al. (2004) for apple tissue. Introduction of Ca2+ and Fe2+ to apple
tissue was connected with osmotic dehydration, however, low concentrations of
introduced ions did not change the kinetics of the process and the
effectiveness of calcium and iron introduction by vacuum impregnation was
comparable in hypo- and hypertonic solutions.
An increase in calcium content from 0%
to 40% of the recommended daily intake for an adult per 200g of apples. Barrera et al. (2009) applied osmotic
dehydration to calcium enriched slices of apple cv. Granny Smith.
Greater
incorporation at pressures of 14 and 17 kPa, levels
of microorganisms over 107 CFU/g. Maguina et al.
(2002) impregnated apple slices with a sugar solution containing
approximately108 CFU/g of Bifidobacterium ssp.
Forty
grams of the final product (apple snack) made using mandarin juice provide the
same quantity of hesperidin as 250 mL of fresh
mandarin juice.At the
same time, vacuum impregnation with a solution supplemented with aloe had a
varied effect on the respiration processes
and
respiratory quotient of tested vegetables, making it difficult to draw
generalized conclusions.
Betoret et al.
(2012) applied vacuum impregnation to introduce homogenized mandarin juice with
a low fruit flesh content to apple snacks.
After vacuum impregnation:1.51·108
CFU/g Lactobacillus salivariusspp. Salivarius; the
highest microbial content: after 24 h incubation period, pH 6. Vacuum
impregnated apple slices were air dried, freeze-dried and dried in a process
combining air drying and radiant energy vacuum drying. Initially, the L. rhamnosus
population in apple slices tissue after impregnation was at 109 CFU/g. The
freeze-drying process was most effective in protecting bacteria in comparison
to the other two drying methods, reducing then microbial population by 1.1 log.
In turn, a combination of air drying and radiant energy vacuum drying resulted
in a smaller reduction of the level of microorganisms during room temperature
storage in enriched apple snacks. Additionally, in
a study by Betoret et al.
(2009), a combination of vacuum impregnation and drying provided a probiotic fruit
product containing microorganisms at a level comparable to that in probiotic dairy
products.
Concentration of microorganisms in the final
product: 107 CFU/g. Vacuum impregnated apple slices were
air dried, freeze-dried and dried in a process combining air drying and radiant
energy vacuum drying. Initially, the L. rhamnosuspopulation in apple slices tissue after
impregnation was at 109 CFU/g. The freeze-drying process was most effective in
protecting bacteria in comparison to the other two drying methods, reducing the
microbial population by 1.1 log. In turn, a combination of air drying and
radiant energy vacuum drying resulted in a smaller reduction of the level of
microorganisms during room temperature storage in enriched apple snacks.
Additionally, in a study by Betoretet al. (2009), a combination of vacuum impregnation
and drying provided a probiotic fruit
product containing microorganisms at a level comparable to that in probiotic dairy
products.
A mathematical model to determine the
concentration of active components in impregnation solution was established in
order to formulate functional food with different calcium and iron salts
levels.
After vacuum impregnation: incorporation
of up to 7 g of Aloe verain 100 g
(dry matter) in broccoli, about 4 g in
cauliflower and endive, and about 3 g in carrots. Most frequently, the aim of
such studies was to determine the potential enrichment using vacuum
impregnation, select a technique for product preservation, as well as to
determine its effect on contents of introduced compounds. Sanzana et al.
(2011) tested the potential for the production of functional food by vacuum
impregnation of broccoli, cauliflower, endive and carrot with a solution
supplemented with aloe powder (Aloe barbadensis, Terry
laboratories, Malbourne,
Australia) at 30 g/L. In a study by Sanzana et al.
(2011), apart from the introduction of aloe in the production of functional
food, the effect of applied impregnation on the rate of respiration processes
was determined in raw materials, which may be a factor extending shelf life of
enriched vegetables.
Less acceptable in terms of sensory qualities
than their fresh-cut counterparts, total polyphenol content and
antioxidant activity values in vacuum impregnated products were lower
than in fresh-cut samples.This
procedure may cause an increase in the content of polyphenolic
compounds in apple tissue, mainly anthocyanins, thus
modifying fruit color as well as vitamin C content, since black currant is agood source
of this compound. The authors investigated the effect of extract concentration,
the level of pressure and the duration of its application on both mass transfer
and nutritive value of apple cubes by applying the response surface method. In
the process of vacuum impregnation they used high fructose corn syrup with
extract content of 50° Brix and a
black currant concentrate mixed in the following proportions [%]: 90/10, 85/15,
80/20 and pressure within the range of 40–80 kPa in time
ranging from 15 to 45 min. Higher pressure and longer duration resulted in a
greater uptake of extract compounds, but not a high black currant content. A
higher antioxidant activity was obtained using medium and high concentrations
of black currant concentrate, while the highest content of vitamin C was
recorded at a medium content of black currant in the impregnating solution.
Optimal parameters of vacuum impregnation were specified based on the analyses,
promoting the introduction of such amounts of black currant concentrate, which
significantly enhanced the nutritive value of produced apple cubes. Roβle et al.
(2011) applied vacuum impregnation of fresh-cut apple wedges in order to enrich
them with honey, additionally applying an addition of browning inhibitors and
subjecting the enriched fruit to osmotic dehydration
.
In 100 g fresh-cut apples the vitamin E
content increased more than 100 times, and calcium and zinc contents increased
about 20 times compared with unfortified apples. In this
respect, the introduction of vitamin E to fruit and vegetables, particularly as
they typically contain its slight amounts, seems to be an interesting
alternative to supplements. During the enrichment of fresh-cut apples with
vitamin E as well as calcium and zinc Park et al. (2005) obtained a 100-fold
greater content of vitamin E per 100 g of apples and approximately 20-fold
higher contents of calcium and zinc in apples in comparison to apples before
impregnation.
Vitamin E content of impregnated pears
increased 80 to 100 times and 65% to 80% VE activities were retained during 2 week of
storage. For this purpose the authors applied
vacuum impregnation in a 20% corn syrup solution. Lin et al. (2006) introduced
vitamin E together with a 20% solution of polyfloral honey to
the tissue of pears.
Optimized conditions for vacuum impregnation
of apple cubes were 18%–20% blackcurrant concentrate level,
77–80 kPa vacuum
pressure and 38–45 min vacuum time. Quercetin and its
derivatives were introduced similarly as in the previous studies with apple
juice containing an addition of apple skin extract. The authors did not record
losses of introduced polyphenolic
compounds during freeze-drying or microwave-vacuum drying, while convection
drying caused losses of quercetin and its
derivatives amounting to 44%. Diamante et al. (2014) introduced a black currant
extract to apple cubes by vacuum impregnation.
Total content of 169 mg Ca per 250 g of
impregnated
iceberg lettuce leaves. Gras et
al. (2011) enriched iceberg lettuce with calcium using vacuum impregnation and
obtained calcium content similar to that in dairy products at 160 mg Ca2+ per
250 g of lettuce, making the product an alternative source of calcium.
After impregnation: 108 to 109 CFU/g Lactobacillus casei, after drying at 40
°C for 36 h: 107 CFU/g Lactobacillus casei in impregnated
fruits. Impregnation
facilitated the effective introduction of probiotics to apple tissue, providing the content of
microorganisms
in the product after convection drying (air drying) at 106–107 CFU/g. This is
equivalent to the level of bacteria in dairy products. Similarly, Krasaekoopt and
Suthanwong
(2008) obtained the level of microorganisms in fruit after air drying at 107
CFU/g during the vacuum impregnation of guava and papaya fruits using L. casei, which makes this product probiotic food
.
After vacuum impregnation the ascorbic
acid content of whole potatoes increased ten times (150 mg/100 g fresh weight).
Hironaka et al.
(2011) investigated the possibility to enrich whole potato tubers with ascorbic
acid.
Effective inhibition
of browning and softening of apple
slices during storage by 1% ascorbic acid, 0.005%
4-hexylresorcinol, 0.5% calcium chloride, 20% sucrose
inmpregnatedsolution. During
the impregnation of pears the authors used an isotonic solution containing enzymatic
browning inhibitors (ascorbate;
4-hexylresorcinol; EDTA; citrate) with or without an addition of
calcium lactate. The most effective limitation
of adverse changes in color were observed as a result of vacuum
impregnation
of pears with a solution containing ascorbate and an
addition of lactate. They also recorded
an extended shelf life of the minimally processed product to 20 days and
inhibition of changes in the
mechanical properties of tissue as well as microbial growth. The effect of enzymatic
browning inhibition during storage was also
observed by Biegańska-Marecik and Czapski (2007) when
applying a solution containing ascorbic acid;
4-hexylresorcinol; calcium chloride and sucrose in vacuum
impregnation
of apple slices.