Far-infrared radiation and negative air ions to resolve trade-off effect of accelerating reactions and stabilizing bioactivity in high-temperature ageing of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) has considerable edible and medicinal applications, while its natural ageing takes years and artificial ageing causes bioactive compounds loss. Herein, the far-infrared radiation (FIR) and negative air ions (NAI) functions of spontaneously polarized ceramic container (SPCC) were explored to resolve the trade-off effect between accelerating ageing-desired reactions and stabilizing bioactivity in high-temperature CRP ageing. FIR accelerated Maillard reaction (MR) to enhance non-enzymatic browning, while NAI protected bioactive compounds, thereby achieving rapid ageing of CRP with preserving bioactivity. Compared to glass container, SPCC exhibited higher consumption of reducing sugar and amino acid in CRP for MR (60 °C, 144 h). Browning degree, total phenolic content, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities increased by 32.6%, 27.4%, 12.0% and 11.4%, while hesperidin and volatile oil losses reduced by 18.8% and 51.7%, respectively. This study provides a new perspective for developing functional thermal processing technology in the food industry.