Scholarlink

<p>Acidification is a critical step in canned food processing, and its kinetics are strongly dependent on the structural characteristics of the food matrix. However, the interplay between tissue architecture and the effectiveness of ultrasound as a mass transfer intensification strategy remains poorly understood, particularly in vascularized plant tissues. This study evaluated how tissue structure governs acidification kinetics and modulates the effectiveness of ultrasound in asparagus cylinders (<i>Asparagus officinalis</i>). For that, cylinders with open or sealed ends were blanched at 80&#xa0;°C (0–5&#xa0;min) and immersed in 2% (w/v) acetic acid solution at 25 ± 3&#xa0;°C, with or without ultrasound assistance (36 ± 5 W/L, 40&#xa0;kHz). Acidification kinetics were modeled using a first-order equation, and structural changes were assessed by optical microscopy and stress-relaxation tests fitted to a generalized Maxwell model. As main results, open vascular bundles promoted rapid, capillary-assisted acid uptake, leading to fast pH reduction and limiting the relative contribution of ultrasound. Sealing the cylinder ends suppressed this preferential pathway, shifting transport toward diffusion through the epidermis and parenchyma, markedly reducing the kinetic constant and making ultrasound effects more observable, although still moderate. Blanching exerted the strongest influence on acidification, significantly accelerating acid penetration and lowering equilibrium pH, while also reducing elastic and viscous parameters, indicating structural softening. These results suggest that ultrasound effectiveness in acidification is strongly conditioned by the microstructure of the food matrix and the dominant transport mechanism. In vascularized tissues such as asparagus, structural pathways appear to govern mass transfer, and thermal pretreatment has a greater practical impact than ultrasound on process intensification.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Tissue Structure Governs Acidification Kinetics and Limits Ultrasound Intensification in Asparagus Cylinders

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月1日

查看全文
  • Edinson Salazar-Lingán,
  • Alberto Claudio Miano

摘要

Acidification is a critical step in canned food processing, and its kinetics are strongly dependent on the structural characteristics of the food matrix. However, the interplay between tissue architecture and the effectiveness of ultrasound as a mass transfer intensification strategy remains poorly understood, particularly in vascularized plant tissues. This study evaluated how tissue structure governs acidification kinetics and modulates the effectiveness of ultrasound in asparagus cylinders (Asparagus officinalis). For that, cylinders with open or sealed ends were blanched at 80 °C (0–5 min) and immersed in 2% (w/v) acetic acid solution at 25 ± 3 °C, with or without ultrasound assistance (36 ± 5 W/L, 40 kHz). Acidification kinetics were modeled using a first-order equation, and structural changes were assessed by optical microscopy and stress-relaxation tests fitted to a generalized Maxwell model. As main results, open vascular bundles promoted rapid, capillary-assisted acid uptake, leading to fast pH reduction and limiting the relative contribution of ultrasound. Sealing the cylinder ends suppressed this preferential pathway, shifting transport toward diffusion through the epidermis and parenchyma, markedly reducing the kinetic constant and making ultrasound effects more observable, although still moderate. Blanching exerted the strongest influence on acidification, significantly accelerating acid penetration and lowering equilibrium pH, while also reducing elastic and viscous parameters, indicating structural softening. These results suggest that ultrasound effectiveness in acidification is strongly conditioned by the microstructure of the food matrix and the dominant transport mechanism. In vascularized tissues such as asparagus, structural pathways appear to govern mass transfer, and thermal pretreatment has a greater practical impact than ultrasound on process intensification.