Continuous Process to Produce Firmer Processed Vegetables

A continuous method for improving the firmness of vegetable products comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a continuous vegetable product treatment device comprising a vegetable product treatment chamber having a vegetable product inlet, a vegetable product outlet, a vegetable product transport mechanism in the vegetable product treatment chamber for urging the vegetable product toward the vegetable product outlet, and at least one liquid introduction orifice for introducing a liquid in the vegetable product treatment chamber;
• b) introducing vegetable products into the vegetable product treatment chamber via the vegetable product inlet;
• c) introducing liquid into the vegetable product treatment chamber via the vegetable product inlet and/or the liquid introduction orifice, wherein a pH of the liquid is maintained by addition of a base solution to the liquid;
• d) urging the vegetable product toward the vegetable product outlet by operation of the vegetable product transport mechanism while contacting the vegetable product with calcium and maintaining the temperature of the vegetable product in the vegetable product treatment chamber at a temperature of from about 125° F. to about 160°, and the liquid in the vegetable product treatment chamber at a pH of from about 5 to about 7, the vegetable product being urged toward the vegetable product outlet at a rate so that individual vegetable products reside in the vegetable product treatment chamber for a time of from about 20 minutes to about 60 minutes;
• e) removing the vegetable product from the vegetable product treatment chamber via the vegetable product outlet to provide heat treated vegetable products;
• and
• f) blanching the heat treated vegetable products in a subsequent blanching step at a temperature ranging from about 190° F. to 210° F. for a time of from about two to about 10 minutes.