Process for improving shelf-life of fresh cut vegetables and food products produced thereby

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to, inter alia, processes for improving shelf-life and flavoring of fresh-cut/fresh vegetables, as well as food products produced by these processes. In accordance with the present disclosure, the processes generally include various new combinations of steps such as blanching, air drying, supercritical fluid processing with and without a processing aid, pressurization, de-pressurization, and packaging. The present disclosure further relates to methods of preparing edible food products that incorporate the processed fresh-cut vegetables, as well as the food products produced by these methods.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A method of processing vegetables, comprising the steps of:
 blanching a vegetable material comprising cut vegetables and that defines a blanched vegetable preparation;   air-drying said blanched vegetable preparation;   subjecting said blanched vegetable preparation to a first supercritical fluids procedure to remove moisture from said blanched vegetable preparation and that defines a first intermediate vegetable product, wherein said first supercritical fluids procedure uses a supercritical fluid and a first processing aid, and wherein said first supercritical fluids procedure is executed after said air-drying step; and   subjecting said first intermediate vegetable product to a second supercritical fluids procedure to remove moisture from said first intermediate vegetable product and that defines a vegetable product, wherein said second supercritical fluids procedure uses a supercritical fluid without said first processing aid.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said cut vegetables are unprocessed for execution of said blanching step. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said cut vegetables are free from exposure to heating, freezing, canning, and chemical treatment prior to execution of said blanching step. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said blanching step comprises increasing a permeability of a cell membrane of said cut vegetables. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein said air-drying step comprises removing surface moisture from said blanched vegetable preparation. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said air-drying step comprises removing surface moisture from said blanched vegetable preparation. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said air-drying step comprises heating said blanched vegetable preparation above ambient temperature. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said air-drying step comprises drying at a temperature within a range of 50° C.-250° C. for at least 1 minute. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said air-drying step comprises facilitating moisture removal from said blanched vegetable preparation by said first supercritical fluids procedure. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said first supercritical fluids procedure uses a first supercritical fluid and said first processing aid, wherein said first supercritical fluids procedure comprises bonding said first processing aid to water molecules within said blanched vegetable preparation for removal of said water molecules from said blanched vegetable preparation by using said first supercritical fluid as a transportation medium. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein said second supercritical fluids procedure comprises removing said first processing aid from said first intermediate vegetable product. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said second supercritical fluids procedure comprises removing said first processing aid from said first intermediate vegetable product. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said supercritical fluid used by each of said first supercritical fluids procedure and said second supercritical fluids procedure is the same. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said supercritical fluid used by each of said first supercritical fluids procedure and said second supercritical fluids procedure is supercritical carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein no processing aid is used for said second supercritical fluids procedure. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said air-drying step, said first supercritical fluids procedure, and said second supercritical fluids procedure collectively remove only 30%-45% of moisture from said blanched vegetable preparation.