ESCUELA SUPERIOR POLITÉCNICA DEL LITORAL

FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA EN MECANICA Y CIENCIAS DE LA PRODUCCIÓN

CARRERA DE INGENIERÍA EN ALIMENTOS

DISEÑO DE PROCESOS TÉRMICOS II

UNIT:
PRESERVATION AT LOW TEMPERATURE

TOPIC:

HOW IS THE CORIANDER PRESERVED AT HOME?

PROFESSOR:
MSc. Priscila María Castillo Soto

MEMBER:
Andrea Gianella Alcívar Chiquito

DEADLINE
10/10/2018

SECOND PERIOD:
2018 – 2019
 DISEÑO DE PROCESOS TERMICOS II
HOMEWORK

UNIT I: Introduction to the Preservation at low Temperatures.

HOW IS THE CORIANDER PRESERVED AT HOME?

FIRST: OBSERVATION

How is the coriander preserved at home?

On my house, coriander is kept inside the fridge. First, we wash and dry the plant and then we
store them in covered plastic containers lined in paper towels.

For how long it will be keep fresh?

It keeps fresh around a week.

Which are the main damages the coriander will present when is kept at low?
The plant begins to get dry and opaque, the green color becomes less intense.
Also, the leaves begin to wither and look more drooping and weaker.

SECOND: INVESTIGATION

Find information, related to the observations you did.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual plant with delicate, lacy foliage and pinkish-white
flowers. The name coriander is used to refer to the plant and its small orange-flavored seeds;
the name cilantro is used when referring to the leaves of the plant (Bishop & Stoesser, 2015).

It is a perishable herb due high loss after harvesting, which requires an adequate postharvest
to keep its quality characteristics; as color, scent, shape and flavor.
In a research performed on 1999 in Venezuela where the behavior of coriander leaves at
different storage temperatures was studied, it was determined that the most suitable
temperature for its conservation (maintaining its quality) was at 4 º C. (Gómez, E. et al., 1999).

On 1987, Cantwel & Loaiza established that at low temperatures the respiration rate is reduced
and consequently the storage time is prolonged. On the other hand, Ymauchi & Watada showed
on 1991, the benefits of temperatures on chlorophyll retention, since at 4ºC the color loss was
lower (on the 6th day it had a bright green color) in comparison with the soft green with
yellowish tones that was obtained at 10 - 25ºC.
There are too many ways to preserve cilantro leaves, on this document we going to show you
three of them.

Moist Paper Towels:

1) Trim off the dry tip from each stem of cilantro. Take this time to also remove any
damaged or dying leaves, as well.
2) Soak the cilantro for 5 – 10 minutes in a dish with cool water for removes all dirt and
debris from the leaves.
3) Remove excess water transferring the bunch into a salad spinner until they feel
relatively dry to the touch. You can also pat the cilantro dry in between layers of clean,
dry paper towels. Make sure that the leaves are almost completely dry, at least to the
point that no noticeable drops of water can be spotted dripping off.
4) Wrap the cilantro in a damp paper towel. The paper towel should only be a little damp.
Do not make the paper towel dripping wet.
5) Transfer the wrapped cilantro to a plastic bag or plastic container with an airtight seal.
6) Store the container of cilantro in your refrigerator for a week or so.

Dry Paper Towels:

1) Cut off any dry tips from the stems of the cilantro in your bunch. You should also remove
any old or damaged leaves at this time.
2) Dry the cilantro completely. If the cilantro is even a little moist, you should dry it with
clean paper towels or by putting it through a spin in a salad spinner. Place the towel in
direct sunlight for a few hours to further dry the cilantro.
3) Layer the cilantro in between layers of dry paper towel. If possible, only keep one layer
of cilantro in a container. Crowding the container with too much of the herb can cause
problems.
4) Cover the container and place it in your refrigerator. It should stay fresh for two to three
weeks.

Container of Water:

1) Cut off any dry tips from the stems of the cilantro in your bunch. You should also remove
any old or damaged leaves at this time.
2) Dry the leaves if they have any noticeable moisture on them with clean, dry paper towels
or by running them through a salad spinner.
3) Fill a glass jar with some cool water and arrange the cilantro inside , making sure that
all the cut stem ends are submerged.
4) Place a resealable plastic bag over the top of the cilantro. Let the opening of the bag
remain loose.
5) Store the glass in the fridge and change the water periodically. Cilantro can stay fresh
for up to two weeks, if not longer.
Extend your investigation to other edible and fresh herbs.

Culinary herbs are the aromatic, fresh, dried or processed leaves and f lowers of herbaceous
plants that enhance the flavor and fragrance of food. They can be categorized according to
their strength of flavors: strong herbs are those with very intense flavors, like rosemary; accent-
flavored herbs are those that have strong flavors but do not overpower the other ingredients
like caraway and dill. And the mildly flavored herbs, such as chives and coriander (Bishop &
Stoesser, 2015).

For the preservation of any herb is recommended using a technique that involves a freezing
process that are summarized in 3 simple steps which are shown below (Bishop & Stoesser,
2015):
1) Wash herbs and dry entirely.
2) Remove leaves from stems and place in small plastic bag or freezer container.
3) Label each package and freeze. For best flavor, use within six months.

The shelf life of the herbs can be increased to moderate temperatures of 5 -10ºC if the
atmospheric concentrations of oxygen are low (1-5%) and those of high carbon dioxide (5-15%).
The low atmospheres in O2 reduce respiration rates and the effects of ethylene, and the high
ones in CO2 maintain the green color and reduce the decay in parsley and coriander, but they
are harmful in basil (Camelo, 2003).

It is recommended that edible herbs be store in a covered container away from sunlight and
moisture. Especially for open spice rack storage, we must choose a site away from heat, light
and moisture. In the case we want to store them in cases, they must be bags filled with a little
air and sealed tightly (Shy, 2017). To preserve freshness, we shouldn’t store above the stove,
dishwasher, microwave or refrigerator, near a sink or heating vent, or inside a cupboard or
drawer (Bishop & Stoesser, 2015).

THIRD: MAKE CONCLUSIONS

According to the studies analyzed, we can conclude that there are some factors that could help
increase the shelf life of coriander, such as temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide
concentration, among others. Nevertheless, the factor that would be easiest to control in
homes is the temperature.

Remember that, researches claim that important factors in the life time of the coriander as are
the rate of respiration, weight loss, loss of color, aroma and appearance are correlated
negatively with the temperature; in other words, at lower temperatures the storage time and
the quality of the product are increased, being the recommended temperature 4ºC
(temperature of freezing).
Thus, we can increase the storage time by keeping them refrigerated at home following the
advices that were detailed in the previous section , being the most advisable dry storage, since
it can last up to 3 weeks fresh.

REFERENCES

Bishop, Carol and Stoesser, Denise. (2015). Selected Culinary Herbs Harvesting, Preservation
and Usage. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Nevada, USA.

Camelo López, Andrés F. (2003). Manual para la preparación y venta de frutas y hortalizas .
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la agricultura y la alimentación. Roma, Italia.

Gómez, E; Labarca, J; Guerrero, M; Marín, M. & Bracho, B. (1999). Comportamiento poscosecha

de cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.) bajo refrigeración . Revista de la Facultad de Agronomía.
Universidad de Zulia, Venezuela.

Leta Shy. (2017). How to Keep Fruits and Vegetables Fresh. Popsugar: Health & Fitness. London,
Uk. Obtained for: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/How-Keep-Fruits-Vegetables-Fresh-
43785608

WikiHow. (June 15, 2017). How to keep cilantro fresh. Obtained from:
https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Cilantro-Fresh