Relationships Among Cell Wall Constituents, Calcium and Texture During Cucumber Fermentation and Storage

Demethylation of pectin was the major change in cell wall constituents which occurred during controlled fermentation of cucumbers. The average degree of polymerization of the pectin was 402 residues. This did not change until 6 months after brining. Galactose, xylose, glucose, mannose, and arabinose were present in order of decreasing abundance in the mesocarp cell walls. These noncellulosic neutral sugars did not change during cucumber fermentation and storage. Mesocarp firmness increased when pectin was demethylated, but the firmness subsequently decreased. Calcium chloride at 20 and 40 mM prevented firmness loss compared to fresh cucumbers during 11 months of storage.