Preserving Apples
Preparing Apples for Freezing
Enzymes in light colored fruits such as apples, pears and peaches can cause
oxidative browning as soon as the fruit is peeled or cut. Browning can cause
loss of vitamin C. Because fruits are usually served raw they are not usually
blanched to prevent this discoloration. Instead, chemical compounds are used to
control enzymes in these fruits.
The most common treatment is ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Ascorbic acid may be
used in its pure form or in commercial mixtures of ascorbic acid and other
compounds. Browning can also be halted temporarily by placing fruit in citric
acid or lemon juice solutions or in sugar syrup. However, these measures are not
as effective as treatment with ascorbic acid in its pure form.
Apples, as well as other fruits, retain better texture and flavor if packed in
sugar or sugar syrup. However, sugar is not necessary to safely preserve fruit.
Fruits packed in syrup are generally best used for uncooked desserts, those
packed in syrup or unsweetened are best for most cooking purposes, because there
is less liquid in the product.
Next