Preventing enzymatic browning of potato by microwave blanching

Samples of potato slices and cubes, cultivar Primura, were blanched by dipp ing them in boiling water and hypertonic corn syrup solution, by microwaves and microwaves upon water immersion, with or without sodium chloride and/o r calcium chloride. Treatments were performed at 98 degreesC, 100 degreesC and 850 Watts, respectively, for different times. Some physical characteris tics (colour and firmness of samples) as well as mass and water transfers w ere evaluated. The results showed that the samples of potato cubes put in w ater and blanched by microwaves were the most stable in terms of colour but the least consistent, probably because of the accelerated gelatinization o f potato starch. The firmness of product blanched by microwave was improved by using a calcium chloride and sodium chloride aqueous solution as blanch ing bath.