ABSTRACTGreen beans, corn, peas and asparagus, which were filled in 211 × 011 cans, were subjected to various heat treatments in order to determine the values or reaction kinetic parameters for the thermal destruction of organoleptic quality. Shortly after these treatments, samples were subjected to flavor panel evaluation. Frozen vegetables were used as control samples for the evaluation. Since there were significant heating and cooling lags, each thermal process was mathematically converted to an idealized process with no lag's in the temperature response of sample food. This conversion is based on the use of a mass average sterilizing value estimated from a temperature history curve determined at the center of a can of sample food. Organoleptic quality destruction curves were obtained by plotting the common logarithm of isothermal heating time at which the quality of treated samples became objectionably poor against temperature. From the slope of these curves, the z values were obtained. These values are 52°F for green beans, 57 for corn, and 51 for peas. The z value was not determinable for the thermal destruction of quality in asparagus because of its special response to heat treatment
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