Studies on the Freezing of Plantains (Musa paradisiaca) III. Effect of Stage of Maturity at Harvest on Quality of Frozen Products

Abstract

The stage of development of the fruit of plantain at harvest was found to affect the quality of fried products prepared from raw and prefried frozen green slices. When harvested from 48 to 125 days after shooting, with a pulp content ranging from 48 to 68 percent, tasters always selected as superior the fried slices prepared from fruit with a pulp content of 60 percent or over. The effect of the stage of development on quality was more pronounced on the attribute of appearance than on flavor. For commercial processing, products of acceptable quality can be prepared from plantains with a pulp content ranging from 55 to 65 percent.