Knowledge Bank

Sodium content in processed foods is a concern for people. Freezing is one method of food processing for convenience foods. Products that are frozen quickly have smaller ice crystals, while longer freeze times produce larger ice crystals. Larger ice crystals can cause lower texture quality. The sodium content may affect the freezing rate, and the use of salt substitutes will have different effects from sodium. Potato slices were treated in salt solutions at different concentrations, then frozen by a quick process or a slow process. The slices were thawed in the microwave or at room temperature. The hardness of the thawed slices was measured using a texture profile analyzer. The concentration of the salts did not seem to have much effect on the freezing time or hardness of the potatoes. The use of salt versus salt substitute did not seem to have much effect, either. There may be a correlation between freezing time and hardness of the final potatoes. Microwaved potatoes were harder than room temperature thawed potatoes. More research needs to be done focusing on different freezing methods, concentrations, and solutes.