From the point of view of texture, vegetables represent a very diverse group of products.They can be consumed in many different textural forms. For instance, cooked asparagus is soft, fibrous and pulpy, cucumber is crisp, firm and juicy, raw carrots are hard and crisp, and cooked peas are soft and mealy. The tissue structure in each case determines the texture as received by the consumer.
Fresh vegetables
As opposed to fruits, which are generally picked when mature but unripe, many vegetables (apart from legume seeds, tubers, bulbs and roots) are picked and consumed when still immature, tender and succulent. This is largely due to the fact that while fruits generally soften on maturation and storage, young vegetables become tougher when they age. This toughening is due to the lignification of the primary cell wall and formation of the secondary cell wall.
As opposed to fruits, which are generally picked when mature but unripe, many vegetables (apart from legume seeds, tubers, bulbs and roots) are picked and consumed when still immature, tender and succulent. This is largely due to the fact that while fruits generally soften on maturation and storage, young vegetables become tougher when they age. This toughening is due to the lignification of the primary cell wall and formation of the secondary cell wall.
