Ferulic acid pretreatment alleviates the decrease in hardness of cooked Chinese radish (Raphanus sativus L. var....

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Plant Biochemistry
• Agricultural Chemistry

Background:

• Thermal processing often leads to undesirable softening in fruits and vegetables.
• Maintaining texture is crucial for the quality of cooked produce.
• Ferulic acid is a phenolic compound found in plant cell walls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of ferulic acid pretreatment on the cooking hardness of Chinese radish.
• To investigate the impact of ferulic acid on radish cell wall structure and composition post-cooking.

Main Methods:

• Chinese radish slices were pretreated with ferulic acid solution or distilled water (control).
• Samples were cooked at 100°C for 30 minutes.
• Analysis included texture measurements, cell wall fraction determination, sugar ratio analysis, and molecular weight distribution of the chelate-soluble fraction (CSF).

Main Results:

• Ferulic acid treated radish exhibited significantly higher hardness (p < 0.05) compared to controls after cooking.
• Pretreatment maintained a more integrated cell wall structure in cooked radish.
• Ferulic acid treated samples showed increased chelate-soluble fraction (CSF) and sugar ratio 1.
• CSF analysis revealed high molecular weight peaks, suggesting ferulic acid cross-linking.

Conclusions:

• Ferulic acid pretreatment effectively increases the cooking hardness of Chinese radish.
• This preservation of texture is linked to enhanced cell wall integrity and potential ferulic acid cross-linking.
• The findings suggest ferulic acid as a viable strategy to mitigate softening in thermally processed plant-based foods.