Comparative analysis of aroma and phenolic compounds in strawberry nectar subjected to equivalent thermal, ohmic heating, high pressure, and pulsed electric fields processes at pilot scale
Dario Pavón-Vargas , Krystina Simkova , Alema Puzović , Andres Moreno-Barreto , Astrid Gędas , Helen Murray , Ibrahim Rabeeah , Sebastian Rincon , Ngoc Quynh Anh Truong , Alberto Zavarise , Hassan Zia , Luca Sandei , Massimiliano Rinaldi , Stephane Georgé , Mario Gozzi , Manfred Gössinger , Severin Guski , Stefan Humel , Jerneja Jakopic , Carine Le Bourvellec , Luca Cattani
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of four preservation treatments: thermal pasteurization (TP), ohmic heating (OH), high-pressure processing (HPP), and pulsed electric fields (PEF), on the aroma and phenolic compounds of strawberry nectar, under equivalent microbial inactivation conditions (5-log reduction) on pilot-scale systems. Changes during 60 days of storage at 4 °C were also evaluated. HPP was the most effective method for retaining aroma compounds, with initial levels of 5.29 ± 0.03 mg/L, closely to the untreated samples, while TP showed the lowest retention (2.94 ± 0.13 mg/L). During storage, HPP-treated samples had a 41.6 % reduction in aroma compounds but still the highest remaining concentrations after storage compared to the other treatments. Key aroma markers, such as mesifurane, methyl and ethyl butyrate, were significantly better preserved in HPP and PEF treated samples compared to TP and OH. Phenolic content followed a similar trend: immediately after treatment HPP and PEF samples exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC), including anthocyanins like pelargonidin-3-glucoside, which constituted up to 81 % of total anthocyanins. Non-thermal methods (HPP and PEF) preserved phenolics better than TP, although differences between treatments were not significant after 60 days of storage. OH demonstrated intermediate performance due to its uniform heating process that minimized thermal degradation. Overall, non-thermal methods emerged as the most effective for preserving both aroma and phenolic profiles, followed by OH, while TP resulted in the greatest losses. These findings highlight the potential of non-thermal and alternative thermal technologies over thermal pasteurization to maintain the sensory and nutritional quality of fruit-based beverages.
期刊介绍:
LWT - Food Science and Technology is an international journal that publishes innovative papers in the fields of food chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, technology and nutrition. The work described should be innovative either in the approach or in the methods used. The significance of the results either for the science community or for the food industry must also be specified. Contributions written in English are welcomed in the form of review articles, short reviews, research papers, and research notes. Papers featuring animal trials and cell cultures are outside the scope of the journal and will not be considered for publication.