Changes in Texture of Green Peas during Freezing and Frozen Storage

The effects of freezing (still‐air, air‐blast, and Freon immersion freezing) and frozen storage (−5°, −10° and −15°C for 0 to 48 wk) on texture of cooked frozen peas were examined. Peas frozen by a Freon‐12 immersion method with no appreciable damage to cell structure had firmer and more chewy sensory textural quality compared to those peas frozen by a slower freezing method. Sensory tenderness decreased initially and then increased with storage time to the maximum storage times of 6 wk in −5°C storage, 16 wk in −10°C storage, and 48 wk in −15°C storage. Sensory chewiness increased initially, then remained constant with storage time except in −15°C storage. Generally, the lower storage temperature resulted in less sensory chewiness. The correlation coefficients (r) between sensory and objective measurements for tenderness and chewiness were 0.76 and 0.88 (P < 0.05), respectively.