Relationship between seasoning effects and porosity conditions in raw vegetables using vacuum packaging

Abstract

When food products and solutions are vacuum packaged together using a chamber vacuum packaging machine, the pressure differential created during the process can drive the solutions into the pores of the foods. This study investigated the potential of vacuum packaging as a novel seasoning method for raw vegetables. Four kinds of vegetables were immersed in NaCl solutions isotonic to their intracellular fluids and then vacuum packaged. The results suggest that vacuum packaging facilitates seasoning by promoting the influx of NaCl solution into vegetable pores, including the intercellular spaces, without compromising cell-membrane integrity. Additionally, the effectiveness of this method was found to be influenced by the porosity and structural conditions of the vegetable pores.