Technology and Flavor Chemistry of Passion Fruit Juices and Concentrates

Abstract

Considerable topical interest has been shown in the greater exploitation of less well-known fruits, especially those from tropical and subtropical species; notable examples are the passion fruits. This chapter discusses the extraction of passion fruit pulp, passion fruit juice, removal of starch, preservation of passion fruit pulp and juice, and chemical composition of passion fruit juice. In countries where labor is relatively cheap, passion fruit pulp is extracted manually from the halved fruit by spooning or reaming or from the whole fruit by suction needles. The chapter also discusses the selection of evaporators, effects of concentration on quality, recovery and restoration of volatile flavoring constituents, concentration by reverse osmosis, and passion fruit juice powders. The economies in packaging, transport, and storage associated with partial removal of water have always been powerful incentives toward the development of fruit juice concentrates. The chapter further discusses the general composition of volatile flavors, unusual volatile flavors in passion fruit, flavor impact values, effects of variety, effects of maturity, and effects of processing. At the time of the review of Pruthi, only the yellow passion fruit had been examined for volatile flavors, and among these only four esters had been identified—ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, hexyl butanoate, and hexyl hexanoate. The Passion fruit recommends itself as a cash crop for developing countries in tropical and subtropical zones.