Quality Assessment and Physicochemical Characteristics of Commercial Frozen Vegetable Blends Available on the Polish Market

TL;DR

This study evaluates the quality and characteristics of frozen vegetable blends in Poland, finding significant variability in texture, color, and technological quality.

Contribution

The paper provides a detailed physicochemical and technological quality assessment of frozen vegetable blends, highlighting inconsistencies in product quality.

Findings

pH values ranged from 4.40 to 7.46, with dry matter content varying from 5.02 to 42.97%.

Texture hardness varied widely, from 6 to nearly 100 N, while color remained stable.

30% of samples exceeded acceptable mechanical fragmentation limits, and all samples showed complete clumping.

Abstract

Frozen vegetables are increasingly valued for their nutritional stability and year-round availability. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of twenty commercially available frozen vegetable blends obtained from retail markets in Poland. Analyses included physicochemical parameters, instrumental measurements of texture, color (CIEL*a*b*), and evaluation of technological quality. The pH values ranged from 4.40 to 7.46, total acidity from 0.034 to 0.322 g/100 g, and dry matter content from 5.02 to 42.97%. The observed variability was mainly attributable to vegetable type and remained consistent with values reported for fresh produce, indicating that industrial freezing largely preserves chemical characteristics. Texture differed markedly between vegetable types, with hardness values ranging from 6 to nearly 100 N, while color parameters remained within typical ranges for blanched and frozen vegetables, suggesting effective pigment stability and enzyme inactivation. In contrast, substantial variability was observed in technological quality. Mechanical fragmentation exceeded acceptable limits in 30% of samples, and complete clumping of vegetable pieces (100%) was observed. Additional defects included frostbite and color deviations, and health-condition defects were observed. These results highlight considerable heterogeneity in frozen vegetable blends and emphasize the need for stricter control of raw materials, processing conditions, and cold-chain management to ensure consistent quality and consumer safety.

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