Inactivation kinetics of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase in pineapple juice by dielectric barrier discharge plasma technology

Abstract

The non-thermal plasma technique is an innovative non-thermal approach for food preservation and decontamination. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD), the principal food degrading enzymes in pineapple juice, were inactivated by the Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma. The inactivation kinetics of PPO and POD in pineapple juice were examined at three different voltages 25, 35, and 45 kV for up to 10 min of plasma treatment. The present study's findings revealed that plasma parameters such as voltage and treatment time substantially reduced enzyme activity of both enzymes, with the former parameter having a more pronounced influence on enzyme inactivity. To mathematically represent the model parameters, established kinetic models viz. log-linear, Weibull, and logistic were fitted to observe experimental data. The Weibull model was discovered to be the best fit for the enzyme inactivation kinetics. The scale factor for PPO was 15.95, 10.87, and 5.73 min at 25, 35, and 45 kV, respectively which was lower than POD with scale factor 40.74, 19.76, and 7.28, respectively. This shows that POD was more resistant to inactivation by DBD plasma than PPO.