Decontamination of Fruit Juices by Combination of High Intensity Pulsed Light and Other Nonthermal Technologies

Abstract

AbstractIndustry and academia have focused on developing innovative technologies as alternative to conventional thermal processing of fruit juices. It is well-known that thermal treatments have an adverse effect on organoleptic, nutritional, and physicochemical properties. However, nonthermal processing technologies have great potential in inactivating microorganisms and undesirable enzymes while maintaining the product’s safety, quality, and freshness. High Intensity Pulsed Light (HIPL) is an innovative light-based technology using short-time pulses (100–400 μs) of an intense broad spectrum between 200 and 1100 nm, including ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. HIPL can be used as batch and continuous flow mode for fruit juice applications generally emits 1–20 pulses per second at a fluence range of 0.01–12 J/cm2 according to FDA approval. Nowadays, other nonthermal technologies such as pulsed electric fields (PEF), ultrasound (US), ultraviolet light (UV-C), and the addition of antimicrobial nanoemulsions (NE) intensely investigated to be used in combination with HIPL to decontamination of fruit juices. The different modes of action of these technologies in inactivating microorganisms provide the possibility to combine them, applying the concept of hurdle technology intentionally. The combined nonthermal technologies could have an additive, antagonistic, or synergistic effect on the microbial inactivation of fruit juices. Thus, this chapter provides an overview of the effect of HIPL alone and the combined treatment of other nonthermal technologies on the inactivation of microorganisms, the critical process factors, and the quality characteristics of fruit juice. Besides, the potential usage, limits of nonthermal technologies, and the adaptability of these technologies to the juice production industry were evaluated.KeywordsFruit juiceDecontaminationHigh intensity pulsed lightUltrasoundPulsed electric fieldUltraviolet lightNanoemulsionMicrobial inactivationQuality