Effect of calcium on pouch processing quality in organic dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and comparison of processing quality in cans and pouches

Authors: WEIJIA, WANG - Michigan State University; DOLAN, KIRK - Michigan State University; Cichy, Karen

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/9/2024
Publication Date: 1/8/2025
Citation: Weijia, W., Dolan, K., Cichy, K.A. 2025. Effect of calcium on pouch processing quality in organic dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and comparison of processing quality in cans and pouches. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 60(1). Article vvae085. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijfood/vvae085.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ijfood/vvae085

Interpretive Summary: Consumer demand for organic dry beans is rising, however, the end-use quality of processed organic beans tend to be inferior to conventionally produced beans. More efforts are needed to improve the end-use quality of organically produced beans especially in cans and flexible retort pouches. Calcium chloride is commonly used in the canning process and is added at various stages of preparation (soak water, blanch water and brine) to maintain firmness and reduce splitting of the beans. While calcium chloride is permitted to be used in organic products (The national list of allowed and prohibited substances), consumers today are less interested in additives and prefer a clean label, which is also a reason people choose organic products. Thus, the processed organic bean products on the market usually try to avoid any additives including calcium chloride. The objectives of this study were to 1) explore the effect of calcium usage on the quality of pouch-processed organic beans; 2) compare the processing quality of canned and pouch-processed bean products. The most significant impact of calcium in processing quality was on the texture, while the impact on appearance was not significant. The samples with calcium added during hydration and to the brine had firmest texture while the samples with no calcium had the softest texture. The processors of organic pouch bean products can choose to use calcium only during the hydration process and avoid it in the brine to achieve firmer texture of the beans while eliminating the chemical compound in the final products. Beans with better canning quality were found to also have better pouch processing quality. The pouch-processed samples of black and yellow beans were found to have better appearance than their canned products in this study, and the other market classes did not have significant difference in appearance in pouch and canned products. Therefore, the pouch processing method in this study can be successfully applied in the production of self-stable and ready-for-consumption bean products.

Technical Abstract: As consumer demand for organic dry beans increases, there is a need to improve product quality. Cooked organic beans are available to consumers in traditional forms such as in cans and newer forms such as pouches. Pouch-processed bean products are appealing for their convenience and light weight, but product quality still lags behind that of canned beans. This is especially true for organic beans where processing additives to improve quality (such as calcium chloride) are discouraged. Calcium chloride is commonly used in the canning process to maintain firmness and reduce splitting of the beans, but consumers prefer a clean label. The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate calcium chloride added at various stages of processing on the quality of pouch-processed organic black and kidney beans and 2) compare the processing quality of canned and pouch-processed black, kidney, and yellow beans under conventional and organic production. The most significant impact of calcium in processing quality was on the texture. Firmer texture can be achieved by adding calcium in the hydration process but not in brine so that the additives are limited in the final product. These findings provide methods to enhance the processing quality of organically produced dry beans.