Softening Effects of Monovalent Cations in Acidified Cucumber Mesocarp Tissue

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Abstract
Due to the importance of salt as an ingredient in cucumber pickle products, the effect of salt concentration on first‐order softening rates during acid storage was determined. Softening rates of unfermented tissue increased as the NaCl increased from 0 to 1.5M, whether or not the tissue was blanched. For unheated, fermented tissue, softening rates increased between 0 and 0.2M NaCl but did not increase above 0.2M NaCl. Changes in the degree of pectin methylation were not highly correlated with changes in softening rates. The ions Li+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+ had softening effects similar to Na+. An enthalpy of activation of 145 kJ/mole was determined for softening of blanched tissue stored in 1.5M NaCl. This is the first demonstration of a softening effect by monovalent cations in cucumber tissue.