SALAD

Minimally processed vegetables can be inhabited by invasive microorganisms that may be the cause of deterioration (Martins et al., 2004). 

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Com oil s flavor, color, stabiHty, retained clarity at refrigerator temperatures, polyunsaturated fatty acid composition, and vitamin E content make it a premium vegetable oil. The major uses are frying or salad appHcations (50%) and margarine formulations (35%). 

Gum tragacanth is obtained from the large tap root and branches of a small perennial shmb found in the Middle East, especially Iran. Chemically, it is a mixture of water-insoluble polysaccharides. It is stable to heat, acidity, and aging, and is used extensively in pourable low calorie salad dressings. 

Wkiterization is a specialized appHcation of fractional crystallization that is utilized to remove saturates or waxes from Hquid oils. Salad oils, which do not cloud at refrigerator temperature, have been produced by winterizing lightly hydrogenated soybean ok. However, many producers now use refined, bleached, deodorized oks for this purpose (24). 

Basil (Sweet Basil). Basil consists of the brown, dried leaves and tender stems of Ocimum basilicum L. (Labiatae), an aimual native to India, Africa, and Asia, and cultivated in Egypt, southern Erance, Morocco, the Mediteranean countries, and the United States. Basil is one of the oldest known herbs, and it is reported that there are perhaps 50—60 poorly defined Ocimum species which can only be identified according to their chemical components. The flavor of the basihcum type is warm, sweet, somewhat pungent, and pecuhar, ie, methyl chavicol and linalool. It is used with meats, fish, certain cheeses, and tomato-based salads. The fresh leaves are ground and known as pesto with pastas. It is the main component of the Hqueur Chartreuse. 

Celery Seed. Celery spice is the dried ripe fmit of y piumgraveolens L. (UmbeUiferae) a biennial, sometimes aimual, herb native to southern Europe and grown extensively in India, China, Mexico, and the United States. The seed is 0.42 cm long and brown. The odor of the seed is characteristic and warm and the taste somewhat bitter. It is used in tomato ketchup, sauces, soups, pickles, pastries, salads, and certain cheeses. 

Parsley (Parsley Flakes). The dried leaves of Petroselinum hortense syn. P. crispum (Mill) (UmbeUiferae), are from a hardy biennial, native to the Mediterranean region and now cultivated commercially in the United States and southern Europe. The aroma is green and the flavor is pleasant, characteristic, and nuld. Parsley is used for the seasoning of fish, meats, soups, salads, etc. Parsley seed, the dried ripe fmit of the parsley herb, has an aroma and flavor less pronounced than the leaves. 

Fa.tMimetics. Existing fat mimetics are either carbohydrate-, ceUulosic (fiber)-, protein-, or gum-based. These are used in a wide variety of appHcations including baked goods, salad dressings, frozen desserts, meats, confections, and dairy products. Table 3 Hsts some of the commercially available fat mimetics. 

Sulfites and related compounds have been the subject of much controversy. It has been shown that these chemicals may cause serious allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. In the United States, sulfite-containing foods must be labeled as such, and sulfites ate prohibited in areas such as salad bats where labeling is inappropriate. 

MethyceUulose, another useful ceUulose derivative, is made by the reaction of ceUulose and sodium hydroxide with methylchloride. It is used to prevent syneresis in fro2en foods, and as a thickener and stabili2er in salad dressings (90). 

Propylene glycol is also an effective humectant, preservative, and stabilizer and is found in such diverse apphcations as semimoist pet food, bakery goods, food flavorings, salad dressings, and shave creams. Humectancy, or the capabiUty of retaining moisture in a product, is a result of the vapor—Hquid equihbria of the glycol—water system and can be estimated from tables provided by suppHers (27). 

In the food industry, guar gum is appHed as a stabilizer in ice cream and frozen desserts (58), and it is also used as a stabilizer for salad dressings, sauces, frozen foods, and pet foods. 

Modified atmospheres that predominantly contain nitrogen are increasingly used in the packaging of fresh pasta, nuts (qv), potato chips, dry goods (such as coffee), breads, and prepared salads to extend shelf-life. 

Hot-Fill Applications. A growing market for blow-molded containers is the so-called hot-fill market. This covers such items as tomato ketchup, pasteurized fmit juices, and salad dressings that are packaged while sti11 hot. The PET blow-molded bottie suffers from its relatively low T (70°C) which results in severe bottie distortion if the temperature of the contents approaches T (the maximum fill temperature is 60 65 C). A brief heat... 

Dispersed Systems. Many fluids of commercial and biological importance are dispersed systems, such as soflds suspended in Hquids (dispersions) and Hquid-Hquid suspensions (emulsions). Examples of the former include inks, paints, pigment slurries, and concrete examples of the latter include mayonnaise, butter, margarine, oil-and-vinegar salad dressing, and milk. Blood seems to fall in between as it is a suspension of deformable but not hquid particles, and it does not behave like either a dispersion or an emulsion (69) it thus has an interesting rheology (70). 

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