PREPARATION OF LEAFY VEGETABLE PAPER

Great loss due to vegetable decay during transportation and preservation is a main problem all over the world. To solve this problem, a kind of easy-to-preserve and fast vegetable product, vegetable paper, was prepared in this research. The optimal technology for preparation of vegetable paper was as follows: The fresh vegetables were scalded in an aqueous solution containing 0.3% of sodium bicarbonate (%w/w) for 2 min at 85C and dehydrated by centrifugation and then homogenized along with some food hydrocolloids. The vegetable slurry was spread over a cloth with a thickness of 1–2 cm and dried by a microwave oven. Sensory evaluations among the university students and teachers showed that the most acceptable formula (%w/w) based on raw vegetable for producing vegetable paper was as follows: water, 10%; sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, 0.2%; sodium alginate, 0.15%; soy protein isolate, 0.125%; dextrin (cold-water-soluble starch), 0.375%. Preservation study using VCand chlorophylls as index indicated that package material and method as well as light contribute to quality of vegetable paper during storage. Moreover, using the vegetable juice to produce fermented product was also discussed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This research presents a technology to produce tasty vegetable paper using fresh vegetables as raw materials. The moisture content of this new kind of fast vegetable product was below 5%, while 90% or above of raw materials were maintained solids, which solved the problem for the transportation and preservation of fresh vegetables. The technology could be applied for all kind of fruits and vegetables, and the products are welcomed by all populations, especially by children who do not like eating fresh vegetables.