Effect of thermal processing on quality of tender jackfruit in tin-free-steel cans.

Thermal processing is the most efficient and economical technique for the long-term preservation of tender jackfruit in ready-to-cook form on a commercial-scale. Although, thermal processing primarily focus on microbiological safety of the product, the associated quality changes need to be examined as it is decisive of consumer acceptance. The present study investigated the effect of two pasteurization (90 and 100 °C) and sterilization temperatures (110 and 121 °C) at different lethality on microbiological, colour, texture, ascorbic acid (AA), total flavonoid (TFC) and phenol (TPC) contents of tender jackfruit processed in tin-free-steel (TFS) cans. Time required for thermal processing was computed from respective heat penetration curve. Thermal processing improved both the TFC and TPC of tender jackfruit, while colour, texture and AA had degraded. Based on microbiological and physicochemical quality analyses, the study adjudged pasteurization at 90 °C for 19 min and sterilization at 121 °C for 8 min as the best temperature-time combination for thermal processing of tender jackfruit in TFS cans. © Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2021.