Effect of Immersion Time in NaCl and Blanching Time on the Texture and Sensory Acceptability of Preserves Based on Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) Surplus in Syrup

Peru exports ginger on a large scale. However, what does not meet export quality standards is considered as surplus and can be used in the development of new products, giving it an added value Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of immersion time in NaCl solution and blanching time on the texture and sensory acceptability of preserves based on the ginger surplus in syrup. We worked with a 3 x 3 x 3 experimental design of 9 samples with 3 replicates, in immersion times in NaCl solution (1.3% m/v) of 0, 15, and 30 min, without and with blanching times of 15, 30, and 40 min, with ginger samples in transverse cuttings of approximately 2 mm. The texture of the samples of ginger in syrup was measured in a Stable Micro Systems Texture Analyzer (model TA-HD plus). The pre-treatment of immersion in NaCl solution helped in the change of texture, observing that a longer immersion time allows obtaining a more compact product, with better results at a time of 30 min. In blanching, the best results were obtained with 15 min of treatment. When evaluating the effect of the combination of immersion time in NaCl and blanching, it was determined that it is better to work with medium and long times, since the product presents better texture, which agrees with the sensory analysis where the sample with the best acceptability had 15 min of immersion in NaCl and 30 min of blanching.