FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

Carlos Hilado Memorial State University

Alijis Campus | Binalbagan Campus | Fortune Towne Campus | Talisay Campus

SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION OF SELECTED FOOD

GROUPS
1. Usually are produced from flower.
a. Fruits ✓
b. Vegetables
c. Fruit vegetables
d. Plants
2. They are fleshy or pulpy in character, often juicy and usually sweet with
fragrant, aromatic flavors.
a. Fruits ✓
b. Vegetables
c. Fruit vegetables
d. Plants
3. These are fruits from a single ovary which remain succulent.
a. Aggregate fruits
b. Fleshy fruits ✓
c. Dry fruits
d. Multiple or Collective fruits
4. These are fruits that develop from a flower with carpels distributed loosely or
closely over a common receptable.
a. Aggregate fruits ✓
b. Fleshy fruits
c. Dry fruits
d. Multiple or Collective fruits
5. These are fruits that are formed from many flowers that have collected
together.
a. Aggregate fruits
b. Fleshy fruits
c. Dry fruits
d. Multiple or Collective fruits ✓
6. They are less expensive and better in quality than those sold out of season.
a. Buy fruits in season ✓
b. Shop for fruits early in the morning

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

c. Purchase the fruit by weight

d. Buy fruits according to your mood
7. It is the semi-solid food made from sugar and fruit.
a. Jam
b. Jelly ✓
c. Marmalade
d. Candied

To achieve excellent result in food preservation, proper selection o food materials is

necessary. A thorough knowledge and understanding of the nature of each foodstuff
in a particular good group will help one to select the best quality item from the
market place and elsewhere. More importantly, the conversation the nutritive value
of food can be achieved if one is familiar with proper storage and handling, cooking
techniques and appropriate recipe. This chapter present the most advanced thinking
on the selection, storage, preparation and cooking of these food groups.

Fruits Shellfish

Vegetables Cereals

Meat Flour

Poultry Starch and Alimentary Paste

Fish Sugar

FRUITS
Fruits are produced from flowers. As ripened plant ovaries and their adjacent
tissues, fruits are fleshy or pulpy in character, often juicy and usually sweet with
fragrant, aromatic flavors. Most fruits are edible when ripe.

Fruits differ in structure according to the kind of flowers from which they
develop. Some fruits come from a simple blossom and others from a flower with
many stamens and pistils. In addition there are some fruits formed from many
flowers that have collected together. Nuts, on the other hand, yield a seed rather
than a fleshy portion but are botanically classified as fruit.

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

CLASSIFICATION OF VEGETABLES
Fruits maybe classified on the basis of consistency and structure:

1. Fleshy Fruits- These are fruits from a

single ovary which remain succulent
instead of turning dry to maturity.
Examples are citrus fruits such as
orange, calamansi, grapes, bananas,
mangoes and others.

2. Dry fruits- Fruits develop when the ovary

opens at maturity and discharges the seeds,
allows them to fall, or fails to do so.
Examples are nuts, legumes and cereal
grains.

3. Aggregate fruits- These are fruits

that develop from a flower with
carpels distributed loosely or
closely over a common
receptable. In short they are
formed from several ovaries
produced as one flower. Examples
are atis and strawberries.

4. Multiple or Collective fruits- These are

fruits that are formed from many flowers
that have collected together. Examples are
pineapple and jackfruit.

CHANGES DURING RIPENING

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

Knowledge of the ripening process of fruits is essential because most fruits

are good only when ripe. Several important changes occur during ripening: the fruits
develop to its full size; the pulpy edible tissue surrounding the seeds becomes soft
and tender; the color changes ; the starch content changes to sugar giving a mild,
sweet flavour and the full characteristic aroma of the fruit develop. However, the
enzymes continue to function even after the fruit has reached its peak of maturity.
Changes beyond this point cause spoilage and deterioration of the texture and
flavour.

Ripeness and the manner of ripening may influence the vitamin content of
fruits. For example the ascorbic acid and content of the banana is a greatest in fully
ripe fruit. Fruits ripened in the sun are rich in ascorbic acid.

NUTRITIVE VALUE OF VEGETABLES

Fruits do not contain large amount of protein and fats but are high in
carbohydrates and water content. They are the best food sources of minerals and
vitamins. Sugars in fruits are in a form ready for use by the body. The minerals,
phosphorus, and iron are found in abundant quantity in fresh fruits. Although there
is a variation of vitamin content from fruit to fruit, most fruit in the raw state content
some ascorbic acid. Citrus fruits, berries and melon are among the best source of
ascorbic acid. Carotene is present in a good amount in yellow fruits such as papayas,
mangoes and bananas. Fruits are also valuable for their bulk or indigestible fiber.

Following table gives figures of the nutritive composition of some locally

available fruits.

Table 1. Proximate Composition of Selected Fruits

In 100 grams Edible Portion

(Food Composition Table --- 1980)

ASCORBIC
ACID
VEGETABLES MOISTURE CHO GM PROTEIN FAT CAROTENE IRON M
mg MG EQUIVALENT

1. Bananas 68 29.6 1.4 0.2 25 360 0.8

2. Lanzones 83.9 14.2 1.0 0.3 2 ---- 0.9

3. Avocado 81.8 10.5 0.9 6.2 14 130 0.8

4. Guava 82.4 16.0 0.8 0.3 127 40 0.9

5. Kasoy 90 13.8 0.7 0.6 67 15 0.5

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

6. Durian 59.9 36.1 2.0 1.2 44 ---- 1.1

7. Mango 82.4 16.4 0.6 0.2 46 1165 0.6

8. Sampaloc 83.4 61.4 2.0 0.6 4 ---- 0.9

9. Papaya 86.6 12.1 0.5 0.3 74 450 1.0

10. Atis 73.3 23.7 1.3 0.4 40 ---- 0.9

SELECTION OF FRUITS
Efficient selection of fruits involves a consideration of its special
characteristics. Knowledge of these characteristics will ensure the selection of fruit
with desirable qualities. Here are some characteristics of fruits to consider.

GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FRUITS DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS

Banana Plump and fully matured; skin flecked

with a brown tip; yellow or brown, not
green.

Mango Golden yellow skin; sweet and juicy; full

cheeked.

Melon Heavy in relation to size; fragrant,

normal in shape; free from decay and
disease; a bit soft when pressed at the
bottom end.

Pineapple Yellowish brown; stiff leaves that can

easily be pulled from the fruit; heavy in
relation to size; fragrant.

Citrus fruits (Suha, calamansi, dalandan) Heavy; fine-grained; thin skinned and
smooth.

Strawberries Firm; free from decay; bright red;

uniformly large in size.

Papaya Firm with trace of yellow at the apex or

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

between ridges; free from lump: not

mishapened.

Avocado Smooth and firm; purplish black.

GUIDE IN BUYING FRUITS

1. Shop for fruits early in the morning when fruits are fresh.
2. Buy fruits in season. They are less expensive and better in quality than those
sold out of season.
3. Because fruits deteriorate rapidly after they have ripened, avoid buying large
quantities at one time, unless you have provisions for preserving the surplus
fruits.
4. Decide how the fruit is to be used before buying it.
5. Select fruits personally whenever possible in order to make the best selection
for your purpose.
6. Purchase the fruit by weight; the heaviest rather than the biggest may be the
best.
7. Select fruits which are ripe but firm and smooth. Over ripe, soft or bruised
fruits are not desirable.
8. Handle fruits with care to preserve their attractive appearance.
9. Select fruits with good color and aroma; these are guides to ripeness.
10. Fruit price is not an identification of quality or nutritive value but is
determined by supply and demand.

SOME PRINCIPLES IN COOKING FRUITS

1. Some under ripe fruits of firm texture require cooking because of their starch
content and cellulose structure that needs softening. Fruit is cooked to
provide variety of dishes as well as to prepare it for canning purposes.
2. Whenever possible, fresh fruits should be cooked with the skin he same time
on for better color, flavour and nutritive value.
3. Fruit should be cut into uniform pieces before it is cooked so that all pieces
will be tender at the same time.
4. Fruit should be cooked in small amount of water as possible until tender to
prevent loss of vitamins and mineral.
5. The amount of sugar to be added depends of the sweetness of the fruit. Too
much sugar destroys the delicate flavour of the fruit. Fruits are better cooked
in sugar than in syrup because too long cooking in syrup develops on off-
flavor.

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

6. When it is desirable to retain the shaped and firm texture of fruit, it is cooked
in sugar syrup or with sugar.
7. Red fruits, such as strawberries, may lose color when heated rapidly, so slow
heating preferable.
8. Short cooking time will ensure greater vitamin and flavour retention.
9. Cooked fruit is most palatable when served immediately.
10. Fruits with heavy skin, such as apple are good to bake because the peel
serves as protective covering and holds in steam necessary to soften the
cellulose and decrease the loss of volatile flavors.

SUGGESTED RECIPES FOR FRUIT PRESERVATION: JELLIES, JAMS,

MARMALADE AND CANDIED FRUITS
Jelly

Jelly is the semi-solid food made from sugar and fruit. It is beautiful colored
transparent product with texture so tender. It cuts easily with a spoon and quivers
when removed from its mold. A good jelly is not syrupy, gummy or sticky. The four
essential ingredients in jelly making are fruits, pectin, acid and sugar. Not all fruits
can be made into jellies. Only fruits rich in both pectin and acid are ideal for jelly
making, namely, guava, santol, tamarind, bignay, sour oranges and tart apple. Pectin
is the general term used for carbohydrates like substances found in some fruits that
form colloidal solution In water. Pectin is capable of forming a gel with sugar with
acid.

General Directions for Jelly Making

1. Choose fruits with high pectin content. Fruits with pectin should be combined
with high pectin ones.
2. Prepare the fruits by washing and chopping. There is no need to peel or core.
Do not use damaged fruit.
3. Cook fruits slowly but thoroughly by boiling with boiling.
4. After 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the softness of fruit, por the
content into a jelly bag or a fine cloth and leave it to drip into a bowl until all
juice is strained off. Do not touch or squeeze while juice are dripping or jelly
will be cloudy.
5. Measure the strained juice and add sugar as specified in the recipe. The
amount of sugar will depend upon the pectin content of the juice.
6. Stir sugar into juice and dissolve. Boil for ten minutes until setting point is
reached. Removed any scum from the surface. Pot and cover.

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

Failure in jam making are characterized by bubbles (trapped air), tough or stiff
(overcooked), glass-like particles (too much sugar) and cloudy (cooking too long)

Guava Jelly

1 cup juice

1 cup sugar

Procedures:

1. Use mature but slightly under ripe guavas, wash and remove blossoms end.
2. Cut into small pieces, place on a pan and add enough water to barely cover
fruits. Boil gently for 10 to 15 minutes or until soft.
3. Transfer cooked fruit in jelly bag. Twist the end slightly to extract the juice
but not the pulp.
4. Add 1 cup sugar per cup juice. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil and strain
again to remove undercooked sugar, scum and dirt.
5. Cook rapidly to a jellying point without stirring.
6. Skim and pour while hot into warm jelly glasses.

Jams

Jams are basically a cooked mixture of fruit and sugar to a moderately thick consistency. The
high concentrations of sugar used in jam. Making prevent the growth of microorganisms and
allow the jam to be kept for many months.

The Steps for Jam Making Include:

1. Choosing fruits with sufficient quantities of pectin acid and sugar. Some fruits are
naturally rich in pectin such as guava, santol, tama-rind, bignay, sour orange and tart
apple. Others may need to be boosted with added pectin from calamansi, citric or
tartaric acid. Commercial pectin can also be used.
2. Testing for pectin content. Cooked the fruit until soft, take 1 tsp. juice and put it in a
glass. When the mixtures form a jelly-like clot, the fruit has good pectin content.
3. Adding the exact amount of sugar specified in the recipe. Too little sugar produces a
poor set; too much of sugar makes a dark sticky jam, overpowers the fruit flavor and
may crystallize.
4. Testing for the doneness of set. The saucer test is done by putting a small amount on
a cold saucer or plate. Allow it to be cool, and then push a finger gently through it. If

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

the surface of the jam wrinkles, setting point has been needed. The temperature
test is most accurate. Stir the jam and insert a sugar thermometer in the middle of
the pan. When the reading is 105°C (221°F), a set should be obtained.
5. Skimming the scum. As soon as set has been reached, remove the pan from the heat
and with slotted spoon, skim of any scum. Leave the jam from the pan for about 15-
20 minutes before potting. Either cover immediately or leave the jam until cold.
Store in a cool, dark places.

Strawberry Jam

1.6 kg. (3 ½ lbs.) Strawberries, washed and hulled

4.5 ml. (3 tbsp.) lemon juices

1.4 kg. (3 lbs.) Sugar

Knob of butter

Procedures:

1. Place the strawberries in preserving pan with the lemon juices and simmer
gently, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes until really soft.
2. Take the pan off the heat, add sugar and stir until dissolved then add butter.
Bring to a boil rapidly for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Test for a set then take the pan off the heat and remove scum with slotted
spoon.
4. Test for set. Leave to stand for 15 minutes. Pot and cover.

Marmalade

Marmalade is made from citrus fruits. Bitter oranges make the best marmalade. Sweet
oranges give marmalade a rather cloudy appearance and are best used in combination with
other citrus fruits. Fruits like Guava, Santol, Papaya and Pineapple may also be made into

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

marmalade. A true marmalade is a clear, jelly-like mixture in which are suspended small
pieces or thin slices of fruits.

General Directions for Making Marmalades

1. Prepare the fruit by hand or by a food processor. Chop the sliced peel of fruits to a
preferred thickness.
2. Put the cut fruits in a pot and simmer gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hour until the peel is
really soft and the contents of the fruit are reduced by half.
3. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Boil rapidly for 15-20 min-utes.
4. Test for a set. Pot and cover.

Orange Marmalade

2 lbs. (900 gram) oranges

Juice of 2 lemons

2.6 liters (4½ pints) water

3 lbs. sugar

Procedures:

1. Peel off enough rind from the oranges and cut in to thin strips.
2. Cut up the rest of the fruits and simmer in a covered pan with the water and
lemon juice for about two hours until fruits are soft.
3. Put the shred rind, covered with water (1 pint) and simmer gently until soft.
4. Pour the mixture into a jelly bag and leave into a large bowl for 15 minutes.
5. Test for pectin and boil rapidly.
6. Test for a set, and then remove the pan off the heat. Leave the marmalade to
stand to stand for 5 minutes then stir to distribute the peel. Pot and cover.

Papaya-Pineapple Marmalade

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

2 cups papaya juice

1 cup chopped pineapple

1 tbsp. calamansi juice

2 cups sugar

Procedures:

1. Use rare-ripe papaya. Wash, pare, cut in half and remove seeds. Cut into small
pieces and measure.
2. Place cut papaya in pan. Add 1 tbsp. calamansi juice per pint of cut pulp and enough
water to barely cover fruit.
3. Simmer papaya pulp for 15 minutes or until soft. Strain juice, measure.
4. Use fresh pineapple. Chop finely and measure.
5. Combine papaya juice, chopped pineapple, calamansi juice and sugar in the
proportion given in the recipe.
6. Cook rapidly with constant stirring until mixture thickens. 7. Remove from heat, stir
and skim alternately for 3 minutes and pour while hot into warm sterile jars. Seal
immediately

Candied Fruits

Candied fruit, also known as glacé fruit, is whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of
peel, placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and
eventually preserves it.

Candied Camias

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION

FOOD SELECTION AND PRESERVATION

1 kilo camias

2 kilo sugar

1 tbsp. lime in 1 liter of water (lime solution)

Procedures:

Soak camias in the lime solution overnight. Wash thoroughly to remove all
traces of lime in the camias. Boil in enough water for 3-5 minutes. Soak in water.
Drain. Prepare syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water) and boil. Add camias. Boil for 3
minutes. Soak overnight. Drain. Add 1 cup of sugar to the syrup. Add camias and
heat for 3 minutes. Soak again overnight. Drain. Add sugar to thicken syrup. Add
camias and boil. Allow to cool. Drain and arrange in trays to dry under the sun. Finish
dying in an oven at a low temperature. Cool and wrap in cellophane.

A GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION