u/EsotericAlchemyFire

Hey everybody! I ran into something unexpected while working with daikon radish in a dessert application (specifically a sorbet component).

Raw daikon tasted relatively mild and slightly peppery. But after blending it into a purée, the flavor changed a lot, becoming much more pungent with a sharp mustard/horseradish-like flavor. At the same time, the purée became noticeably foamy and I couldn’t fully eliminate it even after passing it through a chinois.

My assumption is that this is related to some kind of enzymatic breakdown after cell rupture, but I’d like to understand what’s actually driving the intensity change and the foaming.

A few things I’m trying to clarify:

• Does high-shear blending significantly affect this?
• What is the primary cause of the persistent foaming in this kind of purée—protein release, trapped air from shear, or other compounds?
• Would a cold infusion or gentler extraction method reduce this effect, or does the reaction still occur as long as cells are ruptured?

Curious if anyone has run into this behavior before!