Development of a new food product through the application of fruit confit technology to the edible flower sector.
Development of a new food product through the application and validation of fruit confit technology to the edible flower sector.
Description of the cooperation project:
The flowers have been used in food for many centuries, but since the 1980s they have spread in restaurants due to the influence of great chefs. On the other hand, the consumer demands attractive, tasty and healthy food.
The main objective of the project was to acquire knowledge of those edible flowers that are susceptible to undergoing a candied process. The application of the process has meant adapting it to each floral species, in order to offer the consumer extraordinary and unique sensory experiences.
Results obtained:
Work has been carried out with very delicate matrices such as pansy and mini rose as well as mint, properly collected, transported and industrially processed on a pilot scale.
It has been observed that many of the different usual treatments of standard fruit confit are reproducible in the new floral matrices, as long as the confit parameters (times, temperatures, syrup concentration, etc.) are adapted to each of the species studied, developed a methodology individualized by species. Similarly, the effect of this process on conservation parameters has been assessed.
