Evaluating cold damage on blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) caused by different thawing methods

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of thawing method to the cold damage of blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). For that, blueberries samples of "ventura" variety were frozen at -13°C for 7 days and then were thawed following 4 methods: refrigeration, air, water, and microwave. In order to evaluate cold damage, two indirect procedures were performed: studying mass transfer during drying process and by measuring drip loss by electric conductivity. As results, significant difference was found among the thawing methods, being air method the worstmethod since more damages causes on the berries. On the other hand, refrigeration, and water methos were the best for thawing blueberries. Therefore, avoiding structural changes.