Purple eggplant and zucchini color, mechanical properties, mastication, and sensory perception influenced by boiling and grilling

Abstract

The present study investigated the influence of boiling and grilling deployed at 15, 30, and 45 min on selected eggplant and zucchini qualities. The colorants present in these vegetables contribute to their attractive appearance while presenting healthbenefit components. This study shows that boiling and grilling differently affected the color properties of the eggplant and zucchini flesh and skin, leading to discoloration. However, the multifactorial mechanisms behind this phenomenon are not yet fully uncovered. Both boiling and grilling caused softening in examined vegetables within cooking prolongation, but different effects were observed. In the case of grilling, large-and small-deformation mechanical parameters established higher values. Thus, grilling produced firmer samples, which was further projected on mastication and dynamic sensory perception. Although there was limited differentiation in mastication parameters, it was observable that grilled products were more mastication-demanding. The number of chews and consumption time provided most of the information and established higher values for short-time cooking treatments and grilling. As a consequence, samples that had longer in-oral exposure times were perceived as bitter (eggplant) or sweet (zucchini). Oppositely, boiled vegetables were juicier. Regardless of the type of vegetable or cooking method, the shortest cooking treatments resulted in products dominantly perceived as firm.

Efficacy of Two Stabilizers in Nanoemulsions with Whey Proteins and Thyme Essential Oil as Edible Coatings for Zucchini

“…All color parameters for uncoated zucchinis were similar to other values reported in studies using the same variety of zucchini [ 57 ]. The peel of zucchinis ( Table 3 ) coated with T nanoemulsion exhibited a significant decrease of luminosity values over the 42 days of storage, corresponding to lighter tones at the end of storage (L day1 = 58.44 ± 2.44 vs. L day42 = 79.22 ± 6.75).…”

Beef and plant‐based burgers' mastication parameters depend on texture rather than on serving conditions

“…To participate in the mastication observation sessions, 12 subjects (7 female and 5 male, 28.14 ± 9.45 years old, BMI = 22.36 ± 3.22) were selected. An in‐house developed questionnaire previously reported in Ilic et al (2021) was used to ensure subject suitability. The questionnaire was designed to ensure the absence of dental issues that might interfere with normal eating, as described in the literature (Chen, 2009; Lassauzay et al, 2000).…”