Freezing vegetables

• Main Authors: SIDEBOTTOM, CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL, ORMEROD, ANDREW PAUL, RALFS, JULIE DEBRA, KIRK, ELLIOT, ASQUITH, MICHAEL HARRY, KIRKLAND, MARK, MORREY, STEPHEN MATTHEW, SHARP, DAVID GEORGE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 14.06.2006
• Subjects: CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; HUMAN NECESSITIES; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT,VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES

The present invention relates to a process for the production of a frozen vegetable or part thereof, wherein said process comprises the steps: (i) heat-treating a vegetable or part thereof; (ii) under-cooling to a maximum core temperature of less than or equal to -5 DEG C; (iii) reducing the core temperature to less than or equal to - 18 DEG C; The invention also provides a frozen vegetable or part thereof comprising a core ice content, characterised in that at least 40% of said core ice content is located within a plurality of cellular structures, wherein the perimeter of each cellular structure is defined by a cell wall.