A critical step prior to freezing vegetables is the blanching
process, thermal treatment commonly applied in a variety of
vegetable preservation treatments and is particularly important
in freezing because of its very considerable influence on
quality. The primary objective is to inactivate enzymes
responsible for alterations in sensory quality attributes (off-
flavors and odors) and in nutritional value (loss of vitamins)
during storage (Canet and Alvarez, 2006). However, the
severity of the thermal process should be limited in order to
maintain color, texture, flavor and nutritional quality (Barrett
et al., 2000).