Influence of Sugar on Anthocyanin Pigment Stability in Frozen Strawberries

Abstract

ABSTRACT Strawberries were individually quick‐frozen (IQF) and packed with 10, 20 and 40% by weight added sucrose. Samples were stored at ‐ 15°C for 3 yr and analyzed for: total monomeric anthocyanin pigment, polymeric color, browning and color density. To test the influence of thawing, half the samples were thawed and refrozen prior to analysis. One‐ and two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that sucrose addition had a significant protective effect on anthocyanin pigment content and also retarded browning and polymeric color formation. Thawing accelerated these color degradative reactions.