Nutritional and sensorial characteristics of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) as affected by freezing and the culinary treatment
Autor/es
Tejada, Luis; Buendía Moreno, Laura; Villegas, Alba; Cayuela García, José María; Bueno Gavilá, Estefanía; [et al.]Fecha
2020-10-26Disciplina/s
Ciencias de la AlimentaciónMateria/s
Cucurbita pepo L.Culinary Treatment
Freezing
Bioactive Compounds
Sensorial
Nutritional Composition
Resumen
The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of freezing and different culinary treatments (stir-fried and steamed) on the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds and the sensorial characteristics of zucchini. The zucchini was stir-fried for 8 minutes at 250ºC and steamed for 13 minutes at 100ºC. The freezing of raw zucchini does not significantly affect its nutritional compounds. The stir-frying process provoked important moisture loss; this being higher is zucchini that were previously frozen. The content of ash, proteins and fats, significantly increased in stir-fried zucchini. There was an important decrease in antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds when the zucchini was frozen. The antioxidant activity was much greater in the stir-fried produce in comparison to steamed and raw. Freezing the raw zucchini provoked a significant loss in its adhesiveness qualities and hardness. A lower hardness and adhesiveness was also observed in frozen zucchini after steamed and ...