Quality degradation kinetics of pasteurised and high pressure processed fresh Navel orange juice: Nutritional parameters and shelf life

Abstract

A kinetic study of post processing quality loss was conducted after high pressure processing (600 MPa, 40 °C, 4 min) or thermal pasteurisation (80 °C, 60 s) of fresh Navel orange juice. Selection of processing conditions was mainly based on pectin methylesterase inactivation. Ascorbic acid loss, colour, viscosity and sensory characteristics were measured during storage at different isothermal conditions (0–30 °C). Increased shelf life (based on ascorbic acid retention) was achieved for high pressurised compared to thermally pasteurised juice, ranging from 49% (storage at 15 °C) to 112% (storage at 0 °C). Activation energy values for ascorbic acid loss were 68.5 and 53.1 kJ/mol, respectively, for high pressurised and thermally treated juice. High pressure processing resulted in better retention of flavour of untreated juice and superior sensory characteristics compared to thermal pasteurisation. Colour change was linearly correlated to ascorbic acid loss for both types of processing. Slightly higher apparent viscosity values were determined for high pressurised juice. Industrial relevance Application of high hydrostatic pressure on orange juice industry. Fresh orange juice is a product of high commercial and nutritional value due to its rich vitamin C content and its desired sensory characteristics. High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) is an alternative non-thermal technology that has been proposed for application on orange juice. Such a treatment denaturates enzymes and eliminates microorganisms responsible for spoilage of orange juice without detrimental effects on the sensory and nutritional quality of juice. The effect of HHP on the stability of fresh orange juice has been studied by different research groups, while orange juices processed with the new technology have already been commercially available in Japan, U.S.A., Mexico and Europe. However, a systematic kinetic approach of the effect of HHP on different quality indexes (not only microbial spoilage) immediately after processing, as well as during a long term storage of the processed orange juice is needed, in order to achieve an optimal process design and a successful application of the new technology in orange juice industry. Such kinetic data for parameters related to the quality and nutritional value of fresh orange juice were gathered in the present work providing therefore industry with useful information for the HHP stabilization of orange juice and the production of a high quality product. Due to the great benefits of HHP compared to the conventional pasteurization that emerged from this work regarding the quality, shelf life and nutritional characteristics of fresh orange juice, HHP technology is an advantageous alternative process for high valued products like orange juice.