Citrus white membranes

[Caputmundicibus.com]

Just wondering if anyone could tell me if there is a good way to "break down" the hardness of the white membranes in citrus fruits?

(cooking Vacuum packed maybe, or some "witch doctor marinade", boiling?)

It´s ok if the white part is still there, I just don´t like the difference in texture between the fruit pulp and the membranes.

Thnx

[JAZ]

I always cut the membranes off, or more precisely, cut the segments out of the membranes.

[inigoaguirre]

Hi, I first blanch the albedo (the white part of citrus) changing the water and blanching again until i get rid of most of its bitterness and puree it with the juice and the rind in order to a cream that jellifies thanks to the pectin in the albedo, i sometimes also use olive oil in the mix and even miso... the uses, almost anything, aromatizing a sherbet, for fish tartar...

check this links on my blog:

Tuna tartar with comlete kumquat gel

Lemon servet also with kumquat

salmon with red orange and miso gel:

[Caputmundicibus.com]

Yeah, the cutting out the segments is the normal way to handle this.

But, more precisely I was wondering if there is any natural way to break down the white membranes - with cooking or adding liquids etc. If I for example would like to use whole slices of citrus, or big pieces. It feels a bit limiting to always have to use the segment-shape...

[David A. Goldfarb]

I don't think you could break down the thick membranes without turning the rest of the fruit to mush.

[Chris Amirault]

I seem to remember that someone figured out an alkaline solution that did precisely this. Googling around revealed a patent description that included this sentence:

[T]he ball of peeled fruit is then passed through a bath of a hot caustic solution to soften and dissolve that part of the thin integument membrane surrounding the outer periphery of the ball so that the segments of fruit can be removed by inserting a knife like instrument to separate each segment from the integument walls between the segments.

I thought I'd find it at Ideas in Food, but, alas. Does anyone else remember this?

[slkinsey]

Peelzyme would do the trick.

[Chris Amirault]

Yes! That's it. Thanks, Sam.

[Caputmundicibus.com]

Peelzyme seems really interesting (and cool)! But hm, does my nearest pharmacy stock it? I don´t think so

Would this process be totally "natural"? Or would it leave some chemical rests for people to get upset about?

[JAZ]

I seem to remember that someone figured out an alkaline solution that did precisely this. Googling around revealed a patent description that included this sentence:

[T]he ball of peeled fruit is then passed through a bath of a hot caustic solution to soften and dissolve that part of the thin integument membrane surrounding the outer periphery of the ball so that the segments of fruit can be removed by inserting a knife like instrument to separate each segment from the integument walls between the segments.

So, this dissolves the membrane outside the fruit, but you still have to cut the sections out of the membranes between the segments, right? Doesn't seem like it saves much time or effort. You still have to peel the fruit -- it seems to me that you may as well just cut the peel and the pith off the outside. Or am I missing something?

[David A. Goldfarb]

It looks like Peelzym dissolves the membrane, and you can wash it off. Remarkable.

Edited November 21, 2009 by David A. Goldfarb (log)