Accepted Manuscript

Title: Recent advances in agitation thermal processing

Authors: Anubhav Pratap Singh, Philip Pui-Li Yen, Hosahalli

S. Ramaswamy, Anika Singh

PII: S2214-7993(17)30148-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2018.07.001
Reference: COFS 390

To appear in:

Please cite this article as: Singh AP, Yen PP-Li, Ramaswamy HS, Singh A, Recent
advances in agitation thermal processing, Current Opinion in Food Science (2018),
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2018.07.001

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 1

Review

Recent advances in Agitation Thermal Processing

Anubhav Pratap Singh*a, Philip Pui-Li Yena, Hosahalli S. Ramaswamyb, Anika Singha

a
Food Nutrition and Health Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British
Columbia, 2205 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.

b
Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Macdonald Campus of McGill University,
21,111 Lakeshore, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 3V9

*
Corresponding author. Tel: 604-723-4562; Email: anubhav.singh@ubc.ca

Abstract:

Novel agitation systems permitting forced convection during thermal processing improve
heat transfer, reduce process time, and minimize heat damage. During the last 2 decades, thermal
process experts have studied various types of rotary agitation mechanisms, such as end-over-end
or axial rotations. More recently, reciprocating mode of agitation was extensively studied. The
present review brings into perspective the current state of literature relating to agitation thermal
processing, with discussions on the various agitation mechanisms being used to enhance heat
transfer rates. Recent progress and current problems in data gathering, heat transfer coefficient
evaluation and product quality optimization are reviewed. This review shall be helpful to provide
a quick insight into the state of agitation thermal processing in the 21st century.

Keywords: canning; temperature measurement; heat transfer coefficient; liquid particulate

mixtures; minimal process.

Highlights

 Recent advances in agitation thermal processing is reviewed.

 Various mechanisms of agitation are discussed.
 Challenges in data collection methodologies are highlighted.
 Effect of agitation parameters on heat transfer coefficients is discussed.
 Optimization considerations for agitation thermal processing is highlighted.

Declarations of interest: none

 2

Introduction
Ever since its invention by Nicholas Appert about two hundred years ago, thermal processing
(aka canning, commercial sterilization) continues to be the most reliable method for
sterilization/pasteurization of food. Thermal processing can be defined as the “process of heating foods
in hermetically sealed containers for specific time and temperature combinations in order to
destroy pathogenic and spoilage-causing micro-organisms” [1]. Unfortunately, this heat treatment is
detrimental to the nutrients and various quality parameters in food, leading to an appreciable degradation
in product quality [2]. Thereby, it is desirable to investigate various mechanisms that minimize the
harmful effect of thermal processing on quality attributes of food, a topic of hot interest in the 21st
century. Researchers have incorporated agitation to improve the rate of heat transfer, which in turn
shortens processing times, thus retaining more nutrients in the processed food. This helps mitigate the
adverse effects on sensory properties, while saving costs by minimizing energy consumption [3].
However, only a limited number of papers have been published on agitation thermal processing in recent
years, despite the need for technological advancements.
Heat treatment using steam or water during a typical canning process involves a come-up time
(time taken to reach operating temperature), a hold-time, and a come-down time (time taken to reach
cooling temperature). The hold time is governed by the minimum lethality (Fo) requirements (in terms
of time-temperature combinations) found using thermal bacteriology calculations [4]. Pratap Singh et
al. [1], in their recent review on thermal processing of liquid particulate mixtures, summarized these
minimum lethality requirements for both acidified and low-acid foods. At 121.1oC, Fo = 3 min is
commonly suggested as the appropriate time- temperature combination for a ‘botulinum-cook’ process
(12-log reduction of Clostridium botulinum) to achieve commercial sterilization of product. Thus, only
3 minutes of heat treatment is necessary for making the food safe. However, in reality, a conventional
thermal process lasts between about 45-90 mins, the difference often attributed to the large come-up and
come-down times due to the slow nature of natural convection heating [5]. This extra heating time (often
5-20 times of the minimum time requirements) does little to kill microbes, but considerably destroys
nutrients. Agitating containers during thermal processing has been suggested as an excellent way to
reduce these additional times, by virtue of setting up forced convection currents that speed-up the heat-
transfer process [6]. This short review summarizes recent progress in mechanisms employed to induce
agitation, data gathering, effect of process and product parameters on heat transfer, and quality
optimization studies conducted during agitation thermal processing.

Mechanism of agitation
Fig. 1 summarizes some of the agitation mechanisms used for agitating containers during thermal
processing. Within the first decade of the 21st millenium, rotary modes of agitation involving end-over-
end and axial mode of rotation/oscillation had already been established and commercialized as Steritort®,
Orbitort®, etc. [7]. Clifcorn et al. [8] first suggested the use of rotation to increase heat transfer to canned
foods by placing cans with their symmetrical axis along the plane of rotation, often called the end-over-
end mode. The other possible orientation is the ‘axial’ mode, wherein cans are placed with their
symmetrical axis perpendicular to the plane of rotation. Industrial-scale rotary cookers commonly
employ the axial mode, as it is easier to be implemented into a continuous process by moving cans
spirally from one end to the other of the retort. However, the end-over-end mode of agitation results in
 3

better heat-transfer rates [9]. However, for both end-over-end and axial rotation, after a certain speed of
rotation, centrifugal forces make the particles clump to the walls of the can, reducing liquid-particle
agitation, diminishing heat transfer [10]. This disadvantage of rotation was recently solved by the
development of biaxial mode of agitation [11], wherein cans change their direction of rotation twice
during each cage revolution, and thus produce better heat transfer than axial and end-over-end mode of
agitation [9]. Extensive review of rotary processing is available in Dwivedi and Ramaswamy [12]. In
more recent years, reciprocating motion of containers, which was first invented around 1938 [13],
gained much attention as a possible agitation mechanism due to the introduction of Shaka® and Gentle
Motion® Retorts [14, 15, 16]. Depending on the placement of containers for horizontal shaking, three
possible orientations were suggested by Pratap Singh and Ramaswamy [17] during reciprocating
agitation: HA orientation (cans placed horizontally along axis of reciprocation); HP orientation (cans
placed horizontally perpendicular to axis of reciprocation), or V orientation (cans placed vertically
during horizontal reciprocation). In terms of heat transfer and the amount of agitation, HA orientation
is found better than HP and V orientations [9]. Further, it was established that a rapid agitation Shaka®
process (frequency > 1 Hz) is better for liquid-only products, while a Gentle Motion (slow reciprocating
frequency) process is better for liquid-particulate products [18]. Batmaz and Sandeep [19] also recently
suggested a novel resonant-acoustic mixing technology for inducing agitation inside the can and found
it better than rotary agitation and comparable to reciprocating agitation in terms of heat transfer rates
and quality retention of canned food.

Thermal process data collection & challenges

For characterization of a thermal process, collection of heat-penetration data is very important
and they are often required for thermal process validation by regulatory authorities [20]. The agitation
process produces unique challenges in data-collection due to the movement of cans and their contents,
challenges which have been tackled in recent years [21]. T-type (copper/constantan) and K-type
(chromel-constantan) thermocouples are the most often employed thermocouple types for data
collection. For liquid temperature measurement, rigid needle-type thermocouples are generally installed
in the can through connectors, with the tip reaching the cold spot of the can. Multiple needle-type
thermocouples in a single can are used for heat uniformity studies and determination of the cold spot.
Pratap Singh et al. [15] suggested that the magnitude of the standard deviation between the temperatures
in such heat-uniformity studies, could be used as a measure of comparing the non-uniformity in heating
under different agitating scenarios. They found temperature distribution within reciprocating agitation
to be much more uniform than rotary agitation resulting in better heat transfer scenario.
In the case of liquid with particulates, particle-center temperature collection becomes important.
A flexible thin-wire (20 gauge) thermocouple is generally attached to the particle-center through a drilled
hole filled with epoxy glue. It is noteworthy that the presence of a wire inside the can during agitation
might affect the movement of particles, imparting inaccuracies due to the restricted motion of the
particles. In order to avoid entanglement of thermocouple wires during movement of cages during
agitation, a slip-ring assembly [9] has been employed. This assembly detaches the static thermocouple
wires outside the retort with that inside the agitating retort cage, allowing temperature collection. During
bi-axial rotation of cans, a second-slip ring assembly is used to compensate for the changing direction
of rotation [6]. Some researchers [21, 22, 23] have also tried using wireless sensors and found them to
 4

have better data stability under agitation with 20-80% reduced wiring costs and efforts. Such wireless
sensors allow particle-motion tracking in real time, but these wireless sensors underestimate process
time due to the effect their size and weight on the heat transfer phenomenon [24], necessitating the use
of correction factors. In case both wired or wireless data collections are not available, researchers have
resorted to the use of indirect methods of temperature measurement such as using thermochromic liquid
crystals [25, 26], melting point indicators, biological and other biochemical time-temperature indicators
[27, 28, 29], magnetic thermometry (Balasubramaniam and Sastry, 1994, 1995) and magnetic resonance
imaging [30, 31] techniques. The principles of these indirect measurement techniques are summarized
in Table 1.

Heat transfer coefficients & their trends

Overall heat transfer coefficient (U) and fluid-to-particle heat transfer coefficient (hfp) are two
fundamental heat transfer coefficients often used for describing the heat transfer phenomenon prevalent
during thermal processing. These parameters can be used in mathematical models to predict and validate
certain aspects of thermal processing [28], serving as a proxy for experimental data. Singh et al. [32]
have presented a detailed review on various heat transfer process modelling methodologies available for
canned liquid-particulate mixtures. The most common approach is to develop a finite difference
simulation solving a series of heat transfer equations across can-wall and the liquid-particle interface. In
another work, Singh et al. [33] reported difficulty in evaluation of heat-transfer coefficients for
reciprocating agitation using conventional methods due to short equilibration times and temperature
signal fluctuations. They refined the old methodology by using an average retort temperature and heat
penetration parameters instead of actual temperatures. Dwivedi and Ramaswamy [11], earlier, had
developed another methodology to evaluate heat transfer coefficients using only liquid temperature data
for biaxially rotating cans. Pratap Singh et al. [34] used a similar method to quantify heat transfer in
liquid-only cans during reciprocating agitation and reported that U and h fp varied in the range 197–
1,240 W/m2K and 210–1,230 W/m2K, with their order being: Frequency > amplitude > headspace >
temperature for processing conditions, and Frequency > liquid viscosity > product density for product
composition. Key parameters and their effect on U and hfp are shown in Table 2, based on recent works
in field of rotary [35] and reciprocating agitation [36, 37, 5], respectively. Generally, these trends are
similar for both rotary and reciprocating agitation. In general, any parameter that increases the intensity
of agitation has also been seen to increase U and hfp [38]. Higher temperature leads to a larger
temperature gradient, providing a larger driving force for heat penetration [15]. Higher viscosities
decrease the extent of turbulent flow, impeding particle mixing. Recent works of Sarghini and Erdogdu
[35] suggest that viscosity has a certain effect on obtaining the optimal heat transfer rate for end-over-
end canning process. Erdogdu et al. [39] reported Froude and Taylor numbers to be important for
characterizing the effect of reciprocating agitation on temperature and flow fields in cans during
reciprocation. Contrary to expectations, increasing can headspace has been found to increase U and hfp
only up until a certain point [40]. This is because rapid heating of water’s surface leads to faster heating
rates [18]. However, if can headspace is too large, then it starts having an insulating effect, lowering U
and hfp. Particle characteristics also influence U and h fp. For instance, the higher the particle
concentration, the more collisions between particles occur, creating secondary agitation; however,
beyond a certain concentration, particles may not be able to move as freely, lowering U and hfp [36]. In
 5

terms of particle size, U and hfp increase as particle size increases because larger particles aid in turbulent
flow, but then after a certain particle size, U and h fp decreases due to limited movement. Similarly,
particle density and particle shape also play important roles in influencing the amount of agitation [18],
and thereby U and hfp in both reciprocating and rotary modes of agitation. Researchers have also
confirmed these trends by tracking the particle motion and mixing during agitation thermal processing
[41, 42].

Agitation processing & food quality

Conventional (still) thermal processing may jeopardize a food’s nutrient content and organoleptic
properties due to the severe heat treatment required to render a food microbiologically safe [2]. Sensory
and nutritional qualities of food subjected to agitation are better preserved than non-agitation processing
[43, 44]. As a result of the increasing demand for high-quality processed foods, rotary thermal processing
is now commonplace [7, 45]. Some of the recent work that focused on reducing the deterioration of
quality attributes for agitation thermal processing is presented in Table 3. Multiple studies have
attempted to find the optimal agitation frequency for reciprocating and rotary agitation. Based on recent
literature [18, 35, 39], a reciprocation frequency of 1.5-2 Hz, or rotation speed of 120-150 rpm is
considered optimal. For liquid foods such as tomatoes [46], banana puree [19], white sauce [14] etc.,
increasing agitation results in shorter process time, higher product quality and nutritional profile, with
reduced energy costs. Generally, a high agitation frequency is desirable for such products. However,
when food particulates such as potatoes, radish and green beans [37, 47]. are present, very high agitation
intensity has been observed to be detrimental to texture. Thus, for such products (liquid with
particulates), a lower agitation frequency or a high viscosity of covering fluid is prescribed. It must be
mentioned that even for such products, the effects on color and other nutritional parameters are better at
high agitation intensity due to lower process times. Thus it is seen that, generally, reciprocation has been
able to off-set the limitations imposed by centrifugal forces during rotary agitation. Despite these rapid
developments in the agitation mechanisms in the last few years, a big current problem is to reduce the
damage caused to food (which becomes soft when cooked) due to agitation. In this context, Singh et al.
[48] recently discussed the concept of controlled or intermittent [49] agitation, and showed that stopping
agitation after sufficient development of cold-spot temperature is the best way to minimize the adverse
effects reciprocation has on quality. Still, a lot needs to be done in upcoming years in terms of equipment
and process design, wherein a priority will be to convert reciprocating agitation into a continuous
operation. To conclude, the evolving agitation thermal processing research presents an exciting outlook
for the rapidly declining canning industry and has potential to produce thermally processed food products
of comparable quality as non-thermal and minimal processing approaches.

Conflict of Interest
Authors declare no conflict of interest

Acknowledgements
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or
not-for-profit sectors.
 6

[1] Pratap Singh A, Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Heat transfer phenomena during thermal
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** This comprehensive review summarizes critical information related to thermal processing of liquid
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profiles are discussed, which is extremely useful as difficulties may arise when using standard methods
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associated with liquid particulate mixtures during reciprocation agitation thermal processing.
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 7

[18] Pratap Singh A, Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Simultaneous optimization of heat transfer and
reciprocation intensity for thermal processing of liquid particulate mixtures undergoing
reciprocating agitation. Innov Food Sci EmergTechnol 2016, 33:405-415.
* This study investigated the effects of several processing parameters on heat transfer coefficients, so
that optimal processing conditions and product characteristics for reciprocating agitation thermal
processing can be generated, to be used by food industry. Optimal processing conditions for various
conditions and product compositions are discussed.
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foods: a comparison study against other in-container sterilization technologies. J Food Eng 2015,
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for data gathering and analyses in rotary cookers. J Food Process Preserv 2010, 34:557-574.
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development and future perspective. Comput Electronic Agri 2006, 50:1-14.
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[25] Kakade V, Lock G, Wilson M, Owen J, Mayhew J: Accurate heat transfer measurements
using thermochromic liquid crystal. Part 1: Calibration and characteristics of crystals. Int J Heat
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[26] Abdullah A, Talib A, Jaafar A, M Salleh, Chong W: The basics and issues of Thermochromic
Liquid Crystal Calibrations. Exp Thermal Fluid Sci 2010, 34:1089-1121.
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(TTIs) to validate thermal processes. In Improving the thermal processing of foods. Edited by
Richardson P. Woodhead Publishing; 2004:365-384.
[28] Rönner U: Validation of heat processes using bio-indicators (polymer beads). In Second
international symposium on thermal processing - Thermal processing: Validation challenges (Session
2:3)., Edited by Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Center, Chipping Campden; 2002.
[29] Guiavarc'h YP, Deli V, van Loey A, Hendrickx M: Development of an enzymic time
temperature integrator for sterilization processes based on Bacillus licheniformis a-amylase at
reduced water content. J Food Sci 2002, 67:285-291.
[30] Gultekin D, Gore J: Measurement of thermal diffusivity by magnetic resonance imaging.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging 2006, 24:1203-1207.
[31] Gultekin D, Gore J: Measurement of heat transfer coefficients by nuclear magnetic
resonance. Magnetic Resonance Imaging 2008, 26:1323-1328.
[32] Singh A, Pratap Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Computational techniques used in heat transfer
studies on canned liquid-particulate mixtures. Trends Food Sci Technol 2015, 43:83-103.
 8

[33] Singh A, Pratap Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: A refined methodology for evaluation of heat
transfer coefficients in canned particulate fluids under rapid heating conditions. Food Bioprod
Process 2015, 94:169-179.
[34] Pratap Singh A, Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Using Liquid-Only Cans (Equipped with a Single
Particle) to Quantify Heat Transfer Phenomenon During Thermal Processing. Int J Food Eng 2017,
13:2194-5764.
[35] Sarghini F, Erdogdu F: A Computational Study on Heat Transfer Characteristics of
Particulate Canned Foods during End-Over-End Rotational Agitation: Effect of Rotation Rate
and Viscosity. Food and Bioprod Process 2016, 100:496-511.
* This study evaluated computationally the effect of rotation rate and viscosity. Based on this, an optimal
rotation rate and viscosity of covering fluid is suggested.
[36] Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Effect of Product Related Parameters on Heat-Transfer Rates to
Canned Particulate non-Newtonian Fluids (CMC) During Reciprocation Agitation Thermal
Processing. J Food Eng 2015, 165:1-12.
[37] Singh A, Pratap Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Effect of Processing Conditions on Quality of
Green Beans Subjected to Reciprocating Agitation Thermal Processing. Food Res Int 2015, 78:424-
432.
[38] Cariño-Sarabia A, Vélez-Ruiz J: Evaluation of convective heat transfer coefficient between
fluids and particles in suspension as food model systems for natural convection using two
methodologies. J Food Process Eng 2013, 115:173-181.
[39] Erdogdu F, Tutar M, Sarghini F, Skipnes D: Effects of viscosity and agitation rate on
temperature and flow field in cans during reciprocal agitation. J Food Eng 2017, 213:76-88.
* This study investigated how viscosity and reciprocation frequency may affect temperature, so that an
optimum reciprocation frequency can be calculated. These findings may be used to optimize processing
parameters in order to retain more nutrients and mitigate the deterioration of organoleptic qualities.
[40] Mohamed I: Determination of an effective heat transfer coefficients for can headspace
during thermal sterilization process. J Food Eng 2007, 79:1166-1171.
[41] Pratap Singh A, Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: A novel approach for Quantification of Particle
Motion and Particle Mixing during Agitation Thermal Processing. J Food Eng 2016, 180:39-47.
[42] Sablani S, Ramaswamy HS: Multi-particle mixing behavior and its role in heat transfer
during end-over-end agitation of cans. J Food Eng 1998, 38:141-152.
[43] Rattan N, Ramaswamy HS: Comparison of free/bi-axial, fixed axial, end-over-end and static
thermal processing effects on process lethality and quality changes in canned potatoes. LWT Food
Sci Technol 2014, 58:150-157.
[44] Abbatemarco C, Ramaswamy HS: End-over-end thermal processing of canned vegetables:
Effect on texture and color. Food Res Int 1994, 27:327-334.
[45] Meng Y, Ramaswamy HS: Effect of system variables on heat transfer to canned particulate
non-Newtonian fluids during end-over-end rotation. Food Bioprod Process 2007, 85:34-41.
[46] Pratap Singh A, Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Effect of reciprocating agitation thermal
processing (RA-TP) on quality of canned tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) puree. Journal of the
Science of Food and Agriculture 2017, 97:2411-2418.
 9

[47] You J, Pratap Singh A, Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: Quality Retention Enhancement in Canned
Potato and Radish Using Reciprocating Agitation Thermal Processing. Int J Food Eng 2016,
12:491-500.
[48] Singh A, Pratap Singh A, Ramaswamy HS: A Controlled Agitation Process for Improving
Quality of Canned Green Beans during Agitation Thermal Processing. J Food Sci 2016, 81:1399-
1411.
** This paper introduces the concept of using controlled agitation i.e. switching off agitation after
sufficient development of cold-spot temperature. This is very beneficial to reduce any harmful effect of
agitation, and to save energy and processing costs.
[49] Tattiyakul J, Rao M, Datta A: Heat transfer to three canned fluids of different thermo-
rheological behavior under intermittent agitation. Food Bioprod Process 2002, 80:20-27.
[50] Anese M, Falcone P, Fogliano V, Nicoli M, and Massini R: Effect of Equivalent Thermal
Treatments on the Color and the Antioxidant Activity of Tomato Puree. J Food Sci 2002, 67:3442-
3446.
 10

Figure 1. Schematic representation of various modes of agitation

 1

Table 1. Summary of indirect particle temperature measurement methods.

Measurement method Description Limitations Reference
Thermochromic liquid Colour of liquid crystals change in response Colour calibration is challenging. [1]
crystals to different temperatures. Different processing environments and
equipment may alter results. Only
transparent fluids are suitable.

Melting point Colour of melting point indicators change at Only transparent fluids are suitable. [1]
indicators a specific temperature
Biological indicator Counts of heat-resistant spores are done Thermal lag due to containment material [7, 20]
units before and after process. leads to lethality underestimations.
Examples include B. stearothermophilus and
B. subtilis spores.
Chemical and Chemical and biochemical markers that Some chemical and biochemical [7]
biochemical indicators change properties when a certain time- indicators may be heat-labile.
temperature combination is achieved are
used. Examples include anthocyanins,
thiamins, and methylmethionine sulfonium.
Magnetic thermometry This is a non-invasive technique that uses a Large and dense broadcasting particles [1, 30, 31]
and magnetic magnetic signal that is produced by a coil may be an issue.
resonance imaging circuit, which can be readily converted into
techniques a temperature reading.
 2

Table 2. Key parameters affecting U and hfp

Process Parameter Relationship with U and hfp Reference
Agitation mode Proportional; (RA-TP>Biaxial>EOE>Fixed axial>Still) [9]
Retort temperature Proportional [45]
Agitation speed Proportional; marginal increases after a point [10, 45]
Fluid viscosity Inversely proportional 10, 45]
Can headspace Proportional, until an optimal point [5, 40]
Particle concentration Proportional, until an optimal point [1]
Particle size Proportional, until an optimal point [1, 45]
Particle shape Suggested to have an effect [1]
Particle density Proportional [10]
 3

Table 3: . Effects of various processing parameters on nutrient content, organoleptic qualities, and functionality of commonl y canned foods

Food Processing Process parameters Main results Reference

matrices modes
Potato, Still, Process lethality Higher rotation speeds led to significantly firmer vegetables, but did [44]
carrot, End-over-end (Fo = 10 minutes; z = 10°C) not alter colour. Higher temperatures had no significant effect on
green Temperatures (°C) L*, significantly decreased a*, and significantly altered b*,
bean (110, 120 & 130) depending on the vegetable.
Rotation speeds (rpm)
(0, 10, 20)
Potato Still, Process lethality All process parameters significantly decreased hardness: processing [43]
End-over-end, (Fo ranged from 5-15 minutes) mode (free axial>end-over-end>fixed axial>still) > lower
Free axial, Temperatures (°C) temperature > faster rotation speed.and increased b*
Fixed axial (115, 120, 125) (temperature>processing mode>rotation speed), while only
Rotation speeds (rpm) temperature and processing mode (temperature>processing mode)
(0, 10, 20) had significantly increased ΔE.
Green Reciprocating Process lethality Higher temperatures and reciprocation frequencies help retain [37]
bean agitation (Fo = 10 minutes; z = 10°C) antioxidant activity, chlorophyll content, and led to solutions with
Temperatures (°C) significantly higher turbidities and green beans with lower a*
(110, 120, 130) values, while b* was unaffected by processing parameters; high
Reciprocation frequency (Hz) temperature alone significantly increased L*. Higher temperatures,
(1, 2, 3) lower reciprocation frequencies and low [CMC] also significantly
CMC (%) increased turbidity, yet the former two led to firmness and toughness
(0, 1, 2) values similar to fresh green beans.
Green Still, Process lethality The visual quality of green beans was lowest when subjected to full- [48]
bean Reciprocating (Fo = 10 minutes) time agitation, while the quality of products subjected to
agitation Temperatures (°C) equilibrium-time agitation (ETA) and part-time agitation (PTA)
 4

(110, 120, 130) were dependent on other factors, such as reciprocation frequency
Reciprocation frequency (Hz) and [CMC]. Lower [CMC] solutions led to more turbid solutions
(1, 2, 3) and increased breakage when subjected to higher reciprocation
CMC (%) frequencies. Green beans subjected to PTA had significantly lower
(0, 1, 2) L* and higher a* values than those subjected to ETA and FTA.
Agitation regimes
(full, equilibration, partial)
Potato, Still, Process lethality The shape of the food matrix deteriorated more at higher [47]
radish Reciprocating (Fo = 5 minutes) reciprocation frequencies, but this was mitigated by employing
agitation Temperatures (°C) higher temperatures. At higher temperatures, higher reciprocation
(110, 120, 130) frequency led to significantly higher L* values, antioxidant
Reciprocation frequency (Hz) capacities, and various textural parameters (hardness, gumminess
(0, 0.75, 1.5, 3) and chewiness). Higher reciprocation frequency also led to increased
Brine Composition (%) leaching of solids. Reciprocation frequency and temperature
(NaCl, 1; CaCl2, 1) significantly affected b* and ΔE in both vegetables, but only a* for
radishes.
Tomato Still, Process lethality Reciprocation frequency had no significant effect on pH, specific [46]
puree Reciprocating (F121°C = 5 minutes; z =10°C) gravity or b*. L* was significant higher in tomatoes processed at 3
agitation Reciprocation frequency (Hz) Hz compared to 0 Hz, but a* and ΔE were significantly lower.
(0, 1, 2, 3) Higher reciprocation frequencies also led to higher Trolox
equivalent antioxidant capacities (TEAC), total phenolic content,
lycopene content, and carotenoid content.