Kinetic study on peroxidase inactivation and anthocyanin degradation of black cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum cv. OG) during blanching

Summary Introduction Blanching is a necessary treatment stage in processing of tomato products to inactivate enzymes. However, it may cause the degradation of nutrients. Objective In this study, the kinetics of thermal peroxidase inactivation and anthocyanin degradation in black cherry tomatoes (cv. OG) were determined to predict the quality changes during the blanching. Methods Tomatoes were blanched at five levels of temperature (75–95oC) for five time periods (30–150 s). Results It was found that as the blanching temperature increased and the blanching time is prolonged, more peroxidase was inactivated and the greater number of anthocyanins was lost. The thermal peroxidase inactivation and anthocyanin degradation showed an apparent first-order reaction with the activation energy of 129.96 kJ/mol and 65.99 kJ/mol, respectively. Peroxidase and anthocyanin in black cherry tomatoes were found to be heat-sensitive. Conclusion These kinetic parameters were necessary to select and design appropriate blanching conditions for black cherry tomatoes on larger scale processing.