Testing the overall firmness of a weight or quantity of cooked vegetables

Processed root and tuber products

Thermal treatment is one of the most important processes in the manufacture of storable and ready-to-serve food products of agricultural origin.

During thermal treatment, many desirable and undesirable reactions take place; components such as vitamins and colour components, for example, and also physical properties, such as texture, may be changed.

Cooking just to the point of softness produces vegetables with optimal texture which is where texture analysis plays a major role in determining processing times.