Studies on the Freezing of Red Spanish and Smooth Cayenne Pineapples

Abstract

Slices of Red Spanish and Smooth Cayenne pineapples vacuum packed in plastic bags without sirup developed strong off flavors during storage at -10° F (-23.3° C) even though the bromelin and the peroxidases were inactivated by blanching. Red Spanish slices frozen in sirup with 100 to 300 mg of ascorbic acid/lb of pack retained their original quality without developing appreciable off flavors when stored at -10° F for about 280 days. When the slices were packed in sirup, blanching to inactivate the peroxidases and the bromelin improved slightly both quality and shelf life of the frozen product. The quality of the frozen slices, however, was low and sometimes inferior to the canned product.