Quality Changes in Mango Juice Treated by High-Intensity Pulsed Electric Fields Throughout the Storage

Applications of Innovative Non-Thermal Pulsed Electric Field Technology in Developing Safer and Healthier Fruit Juices

The deactivation of degrading and pectinolytic enzymes is crucial in the fruit juice industry. In commercial fruit juice production, a variety of approaches are applied to inactivate degradative enzymes. One of the most extensively utilized traditional procedures for improving the general acceptability of juice is thermal heat treatment. The utilization of a non-thermal pulsed electric field (PEF) as a promising technology for retaining the fresh-like qualities of juice by efficiently inactivating enzymes and bacteria will be discussed in this review. Induced structural alteration provides for energy savings, reduced raw material waste, and the development of new products. PEF alters the α-helix conformation and changes the active site of enzymes. Furthermore, PEF-treated juices restore enzymatic activity during storage due to either partial enzyme inactivation or the presence of PEF-resistant isozymes. The increase in activity sites caused by structural changes causes the enzymes to be hyperactivated. PEF pretreatments or their combination with other nonthermal techniques improve enzyme activation. For endogenous enzyme inactivation, a clean-label hurdle technology based on PEF and mild temperature could be utilized instead of harsh heat treatments. Furthermore, by substituting or combining conventional pasteurization with PEF technology for improved preservation of both fruit and vegetable juices, PEF technology has enormous economic potential. PEF treatment has advantages not only in terms of product quality but also in terms of manufacturing. Extending the shelf life simplifies production planning and broadens the product range significantly. Supermarkets can be served from the warehouse by increasing storage stability. As storage stability improves, set-up and cleaning durations decrease, and flexibility increases, with only minor product adjustments required throughout the manufacturing process.

Evaluation of Pulsed Electric Field and Conventional Thermal Processing for Microbial Inactivation in Thai Orange Juice

A pulsed electric field (PEF) is a technology used for microbial inactivation in food and beverages. This study aimed to examine the effect of PEF treatment on microbial inactivation and quality parameters in Thai orange juice (TOJ). The results showed that PEF and conventional thermal pasteurization (CTP) can be performed for inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in TOJ. A 5-log reduction was obtained after 10 pulses of PEF treatment when using and electrical field strength of 30 kV cm⁻¹, and the microbial inactivation by the PEF treatment resulted from the electroporation more than the temperature. Moreover, PEF treatment affects the quality parameters less than CTP. Moreover, PEF treatment did not affect the TOJ quality parameters such as pH, commission international de l’eclairage (CIE), viscosity, and total soluble solid (TSS), but saved vitamin C and all sugar and all mineral (sucrose, glucose, fructose, sodium, lithium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) values more than CTP treatment.

Innovative Hurdle Technologies for the Preservation of Functional Fruit Juices

Functional nutrition, which includes the consumption of fruit juices, has become the field of interest for those seeking a healthy lifestyle. Functional nutrition is also of great interest to the food industry, with the aims of improving human health and providing economic prosperity in a sustainable manner. The functional food sector is the most profitable part of the food industry, with a fast-growing market resulting from new sociodemographic trends (e.g., longer life expectancy, higher standard of living, better health care), which often includes sustainable concepts of food production. Therefore, the demand for hurdle technology in the food industry is growing, along with the consumption of minimally processed foods, not only because this approach inactivates microorganisms in food, but because it can also prolong the shelf life of food products. To preserve food products such as fruit juices, the hurdle technology approach often uses non-thermal methods as alternatives to pasteurization, which can cause a decrease in the nutritional value and quality of the food. Non-thermal technologies are often combined with different hurdles, such as antimicrobial additives, thermal treatment, and ultraviolet or pulsed light, to achieve synergistic effects and overall quality improvements in (functional) juices. Hence, hurdle technology could be a promising approach for the preservation of fruit juices due to its efficiency and low impact on juice quality and characteristics, although all processing parameters still require optimization.