Masters Theses

Date of Award

6-1973

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Food Science and Technology

Major Professor

J.L. Collins

Committee Members

M.R. Johnston, H.D. Swingle

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine if objective tests on raw sweet corn could predict an optimum maturity for deep-frying on-the-cob. Silver Queen and Butter Sweet cultivars were harvested at four stages of maturity and tested for alcohol-insoluble solids (AIS), moisture, pericarp and soluble solids (SS) content, and kernel width (KW). Blanched samples, after freezing and storage, were deep-fried at 176°C for up to 4 minutes and evaluated subjectively for texture and acceptability. For the Silver Queen cv. simple correlation coefficients ranging from 0.785 to 0.977 were obtained between the tests and texture scores. For the Butter Sweet cv. simple correlation coefficients ranging from 0.813 to 0.922 were obtained between the tests and texture 2 scores. Coefficients of determination (R²) between texture (T) and objective tests considered singularly ranged from 0.616 to 0.954 for the Silver Queen cv. and from 0.661 to 0.850 for the Butter Sweet cv. Some of the objective tests (independent variables) were considered as 2 being quick or easy to perform. The highest R² found for one of the "quick" tests was 0.934 for the Silver Queen cv. and 0.850 for the Butter Sweet cv., both employing soluble solids as the independent variable. Regression equations were developed using texture scores (T) as a dependent variable and objective tests as independent variables. The regression equation developed for both cultivars involving a "quick" test employed the use of soluble solids (SS) as the independent variable. The general regression equation for SS is T = T̄+b (σT/σSS) (SS-S̄S̄). For Silver Queen: T = 3.41 + 0.2275 (SS - 22.41). For Butter Sweet: T = 3.60 + 0.0907 (SS - 29.67). For each cultivar a texture preference panel was conducted to determine what maturity group was most acceptable. The preference panel consisted of untrained panelists made up of students from ages 18 to 28 years. For the Silver Queen cv. panelists indicated a slight preference for maturity group 3, however preference for group 3 was not significantly different from preferences for groups 2 and 4. For the Butter Sweet cv. panelists indicated a slight preference for maturity group 1, however preference for group 1 was not significantly different from the preference for group 2. These results should permit the harvesting of Silver Queen and Butter Sweet sweet corn at an optimum maturity for deep-frying on-the-cob.

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