Effect of Reheating on the Quality of Selected Starch-Based Foods: Steam-Based Reheating System Vs. Microwave Reheating

The present study evaluated the performance of a specially designed steam-based reheating system for retaining the quality of cooked food, which could serve as an alternative to microwave reheating. Rice, pasta, and flatbread were used as model food matrices and reheated after 6 hours of ambient storage. The various parameters of the selected foods, such as internal food temperature, moisture content, mass loss during reheating, texture, colour, temperature distribution, and possible chemical alterations, were measured before and after reheating. Steam reheating progressively increased the internal temperature of all foods to above 75°C, with rice reaching 74.6°C in 5 minutes and pasta reaching 75.2°C in 7 minutes, according to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) food safety specifications. The moisture content was retained better under steam-based reheating system with rice regained up to 76.9%, while moisture content of microwave-treated rice fell to 61.3%. Reheating loss was considerably lower in steam-treated samples (<0.5%) than in microwave-reheated samples (>0.8%) for all the reheated foods. Analysis of colour, textural, and sensory properties of the foods showed that steam-reheated foods exhibited less colour deviation, maintained structural integrity, and were more acceptable overall than microwave-treated counterparts. Infrared (IR) thermal images used to visualize the temperature distribution among the reheated food samples, revealed more uniform thermal pattern in case of the steam-reheated foods. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy analysis confirmed the absence of toxic substances, with all prominent peaks corresponding to naturally occurring biomolecules.This work identifies the benefits of wet heat technology as a safer, more effective alternative to microwave reheating, while maintaining the food quality.