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Changes in nutrients during storage and processing of Foods - A review

Article · June 2009

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 Techno Science Africana Journal, Volume 3 Number 1, June, 2009

CHANGES IN NUTRIENTS DURING STORAGE AND PROCESSING OF

FOODS - A REVIEW
Dandago, M.A.
Department of Food Science and Technology, Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Kano
State
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
Various changes that occur in nutrients during processing and storage of various food products
were reviewed. Preliminary unit operations such as cleaning, soaking, peeling and dehulling
leads to significant losses of vitamins and mineral contents of food products. Applications of
heat during processing also lead to losses quantitatively and qualitatively and it was noticed that
water soluble vitamins were worst affected. Undesirable reactions in proteins which can lead to
decrease in its biological value may also occur in some foods products. Sugars are affected by
leaching and also take part in browning reactions. Irradiation is not suitable for fatty foods.
Recommendations were made on adopting new/modern processing methods to decrease the
losses. Proper storage conditions especially temperature and humidity controls should be
adhered to strictly at the same time local producers/processors should be educated on
consequences of over processing.

Key words: Nutrients, vitamins, dehulling, peeling, leaching, oxidation.

INTRODUCTION Okaka, 2001). Proteins are denatured by heat

Food is any substance assimilated into the body where they are made more easily digestable by
of living organism, which provides energy, proteolytic enzymes and cellulosic cell walls that
material for growth, body repair, reproduction can not be broken down by monograstric animals
and assist in regulation of various processes in (e.g. man) are broken down during heating. Heat
the body (Odeyemi and Duramola, 2000). Food is also helps to inactivate anti-nutritional factors
like fine China not only is it expensive, but it such as trypsin inhibitors.
must be handled carefully because of its fragile There is significant improvement in
nature. Food products are susceptible to quality and digestibility of carbohydrates after
spoilage, loss of nutrients, insects and rodents malting process and anti-nutritional substances
infestations, and changes in color, flavor and in the grains are leached out. Soaking of cowpea
odor (Hurst, Reynolds, Scheler and Christian, prior to milling helps to hydrolyze the
1993). indigestible oligosaccharides. Foods are made
Storage is defined as holding goods until more stable for certain period of time after
needed for further processing, marketing or drying, cold storage, irradiation, addition of
consumption. The expression connotes the preservatives etc however; despite all the
expectation that goods would not just be kept, advantages of food processing and storage there
but in the most appropriate conditions for are adverse effects or changes that occur in the
maximum retention of both quality and quantity nutrients during some operations. There is need
(Wajilda, 2008). to understand these undesirable changes in food
The term processing cover an enormous nutrients and take possible measures to over
field of widely different treatments carried out to come them.
render food safe, edible and palatable. The major
Changes in Various Nutrients:
methods of preservation all cause some changes
Changes in Vitamins and Minerals during
in the nutritional value of food but the loss is not
storage
significant. Nutrients are those substances in
There is every reason to believe that only
foods which when eaten provide nourishment to
insignificant level of vitamin B is lost during
the body. The most sensitive nutrients to change
storage of frozen meats provided the
are vitamin C and to a lesser extent vitamin B 1.
temperature is low enough and does not
Other nutrients are much more stable and very
fluctuate. The most susceptible vitamins are B1
little is lost in most processes. However, greater
and B2. Milk may lose substantial amounts of
losses can occur due to improper storage of food
vitamins B2. and C within few hours if stored in a
under adverse environmental conditions (Hurst et
clear bottle in sunlight whereas vitamins A and D
al., 1993).
are not affected (Hurst et al., 1993).
Cooking improves the digestibility of
The vitamin content of cereals (rice and
foods, promotes palatability and improves the
wheat) remains relatively stable provided the
keeping quality as well as wholesomeness. The
moisture content does not increase above 10%.
heat used during processing can be a dry heat
The vitamin B content of stored bread and break
(as in baking) or wet heat (as in steaming). Heat
fast cereals remains stable provided good
helps to sterilize the food by killing harmful
storage conditions are used.
bacteria, control undesirable enzymatic reactions
and enhance nutrients availability (Okaka and

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 Techno Science Africana Journal, Volume 3 Number 1, June, 2009

Vitamins A and C are regarded as the most produce certain desirable qualities. Loss of
important nutrients in fruits and vegetables but vitamins and minerals during blanching can be
substantial quantities of both vitamins are lost if significant and is a function of surface area per
kept at room temperature. Vitamin E which is mass of product, degree of maturity of the
highly susceptible to oxidation is found in product, blanching method, blanching time and
substantial amount in nuts. The vitamin can be method of cooling after blanching. Nutrients
preserved by vacuum packaging or freezing the losses that occur during blanching are caused by
product in oxygen impermeable film (Hurst et al., leaching, oxidation of water soluble nutrients
1993). and thermal destruction (Walter, Truond and
According to Hurst et al, (1993) drying Espinel, 1998).
does not cause major losses in vitamins provided Both vitamin A and Carotene are
the finished food are adequately protected from unaffected by most cooking methods but small
oxygen either by proper packaging or use of anti- amounts may be lost during frying. Also about
oxidants. 25% of thiamin is lost when potatoes are boiled,
meat looses about 40% of its thiamine content
Changes in Vitamins and Minerals during when roasted and also when bread is baked
Processing about 25% of the thiamine is destroyed.
Because of their essential nature, the extent of According to Ihekoronye and Ngoddy (1985), the
destruction of vitamins during processing is overall loss of water soluble vitamins is greater
often the main criterion by which workers judge than that of fat soluble vitamins during cooking.
the quality of processed foods (Ihekoronye and Preservation by freezing and storage of these
Ngoddy, 1985). But it is often realized that home frozen products is generally regarded as the best
cooking generally lead to much greater loss of method for long term preservation when judged
vitamins than those encountered in industrial on vitamin retention. Losses that occur are
processing. Generally, the skin of fruits and generally not significant if proper packaging and
vegetables is richer in vitamins than other areas freezing procedures are used. A loss in the
and also the bran of cereals grains contains the B ranges of 0-40% vitamins does occur in
vitamins. In tuber crops the surface is usually vegetables and animal tissues during frozen
higher in vitamins than the cortex and storage (Okaka and Okaka, 2001).
consequently trimming, peeling, washing etc. of During flour milling, the outer coat
fruits and vegetables; root and tubers prior where B complex vitamins and minerals are
processing result in loss of vitamins and localized are removed in order to obtain flour of
minerals. desirable texture (Asiedu, 1989). This
To understand the effect of trimming or necessitates flour enrichment with vitamins and
peeling on the nutritional value of foods it is minerals after milling.
important to understand the distribution of
vitamins on food materials. Vitamin C for Changes in Proteins during storage
example is higher in the peels of fruits and The biological value of proteins is usually
vegetables than in the cortex. Niacin and little affected by proper storage of food products.
Riboflavin are also slightly higher in the peel of High storage temperature will cause certain
fruits. Fresh citrus fruits show much higher amino acids (e.g. lysine) to chemically bind with
concentration of Ascorbic acid in the outer peel simple sugars to form brown pigments through
and inner white skin than in the fruit pulp or maillard reaction. The reaction affects the
juice whereas in vegetables, vitamins are nutritional value of the food because it causes
normally higher in leafy portions. In carrots for the essential amino acid to become
example, the peel is much higher in niacin and physiologically unavailable (for example
carotene than the remaining root. The same is improperly stored dried milk and egg white
true of palm fruit and potatoes which show powder are particularly susceptible to this
vitamin higher content in the peel than in the browning reaction) the reaction will also occur if
flesh. There is no doubt that trimming and poor packaging of dried foods allow as increase
peeling of fruits and vegetables reduce the in moisture level (Hurst et al., 1993).
nutrients content, however boiling the food
material with the intact skin helps to retain these Changes in Proteins during Processing
nutrients (Leriei 1998). A number of changes may occur during
In Nigeria, leafy vegetables and many processing, some of which are desirable while
fruits are hardly processed and only small others are undesirable. Some chemical changes
quantities of harvested vegetables are sun dried may lead to compounds which are non
locally. Losses may occur with vitamins labile to hydrolysable by the intestinal enzymes; or to
heat, light and air (Ihekoronye and Ngoddy, improvement of nutritional value by deactivating
1985). Blanching is the first step for effective certain anti-nutritional factors such as trypsin
preservation of some fruits and vegetables and in inhibitors (Ikeme, 1990). The types of changes in
many instances, blanching treatment is often protein during processing are recognized as
combined with the use of chemicals in order to follows:

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 Techno Science Africana Journal, Volume 3 Number 1, June, 2009

1. Denuturation which requires mild heat is the formation of new amino acids such as Lysino
unfolding of the protein complex structure, – alanine, Lanthronine and ornithino-alanine.
and according to Nielsen (2004) the effects Cystine, lysine and serine are primarily
of denuturation include: involved in such reactions (Ihekoronye and
(a) Peptide bonds of the protein are more readily Ngoddy, 1985).
available for hydrolysis by proteolytic 6. Ionizing radiations is a modern method that
enzymes. is employed in food processing and
(b) Enzymes activity if originally present is lost preservation. These radiations can produce
or decreased. charged particles (ions) in the materials they
(c) Crystallization of protein is no longer strike and hence undesirable reactions may
possible. occur. In proteins, deaminations, oxidations,
(d) Intrinsic viscosity is increased. polymerization and decarboxylation have
Afterall boiling and roasting of food materials been observed during irradiation. Histidine,
certainly denature the protein as indeed will phenylanine, Tyrosine and sulphur
the acid of the stomach, but there is no loss containing amino acids are reported to be
of nutritive value (Behsnilian, Regier and the most sensitive to the effect of irradiation
Stahl, 2003). (Fellows, 2000).
2. The second type of change is caused by mild
heat in the presence of reducing substances Changes in Lipids during Storage
which results in a linkage between the end The nutritional value of fat lies in the energy it
epilson amino group of lysine with reducing supplied to the body during digestion. Fats are
substances which can not be hydrolyzed by fairly stable to processing (except frying) but may
the digestive enzymes. The lysine is still undergo quality deterioration during prolonged
present and is liberated by acid hydrolysis, storage.
but since it can not be librated during Oxidation and hydrolytic rancidity occurs
digestion, it is biologically unavailable. in stored foods leading to off flavor development.
3. More severe heating reduces availability of These reactions can be caused by enzymes or by
other amino acids as well as lysine and can moisture and air. They occur more rapidly under
occur in absence of reducing substances. At adverse conditions but can also develop in
temperature of 1150C, cystine is relatively properly stored fatty acids. Lipids oxidation
sensitive and can be oxidized to disulphide produces off flavor components called hydro
or disulphene. Milk for instance is peroxides and peroxides which react chemically
pasteurized at 720C for 15 seconds with fat soluble vitamins rendering them
(Ihekoronye and Ngoddy, 1985). Changes in nutritionally useless. Loss of these nutrients can
temperature and time will lead to off flavor be minimized by wrapping foods in moisture
production because of unfolding of -lacto proof and oxygen impermeable packaging
globulin. Consequently, there is exposure of materials (Hurst et al., 1993).
sulphadryl groups of cystine for hydrolysis
and production of hydrogen sulphide. Also Changes in Lipids during Processing
light induced oxidation of proteins is known Excessive heating will cause reaction of carbonyl
to lead to off flavor and destruction of components resulting from the decomposition of
essential amino acids in milk. Sunlight unsaturated fatty acids which may lead to
attacks methionine and converts it into reactions similar to those involved in non-
methionol which cause a typical sunlight off enzymatic browning. Lipases and phospholipases
flavor at 0.1ppm (Behsnillan et al., 2003). release fatty acids from meat and fish during
The source of light induced off flavor in milk frozen storage and free fatty acids are more
resides in low density lipo protein fraction. susceptible to oxidative rancidity (Okaka and
4. Excessive heat such as applied to the outside Okaka, 2001). This problem is especially
of foods of the puffing exploding type of important in products with high degree of
processing used in the manufacture of some unsaturated fatty acids (e.g. pork and sea foods).
breakfast cereals and pop corn causes Many irradiation promoted reactions
severe protein damage. It leads to the occur in lipids and produce results similar to
destruction of amino acids by complete oxidative rancidity with loss in fat soluble
decomposition or by forming of cross vitamins. Several carbonyl compounds may be
linkages forming poly amino acids. formed together with other potentially active
Temperatures of 1800C such as used in intermediates that can be carcinogenic.
roasting meat, fish, coffee and biscuit baking
have these effects (Ihekoronye and Ngoddy, Changes in Carbohydrates during Storage
1985). Carbohydrates can be said to be relatively stable
5. Alkali treatment in conjunction with heat to processing and storage compared to sensitive
treatment and oxidation damages protein nutrients such as vitamins.
quality. Alkali treatment is been used in There is no significant loss in the
preparation of protein concentrates and nutritional value of carbohydrates in frozen,
isolates. This treatment leads to the canned or dried foods.

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 Techno Science Africana Journal, Volume 3 Number 1, June, 2009

Infact, some carbohydrates are made more Increase in the moisture level of dried food
digestible through processing and thus promotes microbial deterioration and accelerate
nutritionally available and complex rancidity. Improperly wrapped foods suffer form
carbohydrates are converted to simple sugars. freezer burn which is a form of dehydration from
Adverse brown pigments occur in frozen and the food surface. This loss of moisture causes
dried foods when carbohydrates react with oxidation of fats and browning leading to off
proteins (Hurst et al., 1993). flavor development and at the same time
lowering the nutritional value of the food (Hurst
Changes in Carbohydrates during Processing
et al., 1993).
During wet heat treatment as in blanching and
boiling; there is considerable loss of low CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
molecular weight carbohydrates as well as micro- Processing foods is necessary to achieve
nutrients into the processing water. The loss of desirable sensory and healthy attributes in the
glucose and fructose at boiling is higher than food product. Storage of food materials is also
that of sucrose. The loss of low molecular weight necessary to extend the shelf life of the product
carbohydrates also may vary between species and and make it available for future use and for
cultivars. processing. Because storage and processing of
Non enzymatic browning reactions occur foods are inevitable, there is need to devise
between reducing sugars and amino groups in methods to at least reduce the adverse effects
foods during processing and storage. These due to these processes. These effects can be
reactions are temperature dependent and most reduced by the following recommendations:
extensive at intermediate water activities (Leriei, i. Strictly following the storage conditions of
1998). They are important nutritionally as they temperature and relative humidity for the
may diminish the bio availability of amino acids particular food product and also avoiding
especially lysine and thus diminishing the protein temperature fluctuations.
nutritional value. The carbohydrate content and ii. Adopting high energy transfer processing
availability is influenced only marginally. method such as (HTST) to reduce the
When starch is heated in the presence of treatment time.
water, the starch granules ruptures and form iii. Adopting new processing methods such as
gels. The gelatinization increases the availability high hydrostatic pressure technology, ohmic
of starch for digestion by amylolytic enzymes. heating, and ultrasound technologies where
Gelatinized starch is not in thermodynamic necessary.
equilibrium and according to Leriei (1998) there iv. Improving temperature, humidity control and
is therefore a progressive re-association of the packaging systems in food storage and
starch molecules upon ageing. This distributions
recrystallization is referred to as retrogradation v. It is also recommended that the populace be
and may reduce the digestibility of the starch. educated on the effect of over processing on
the nutrients and suggest possible ways to
Changes in Moisture during Processing avoid it. This can be achieved through radio
Changes in moisture content of dried and frozen jingles and or use of extension workers.
food can affect the nutritional quality of food.
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