Apple Juice Industry Research Articles

HPLC-DAD method for the determination of patulin in dried apple rings

Patulin is an important mycotoxin in apples and apple products and it is also a marker of quality in the apple and apple juice industry. Numerous methods are described in the literature regarding its extraction and analysis from clear and cloudy apple juice as well as liquidized solid apples. However there is a dearth of information concerning patulin analysis in dry solid apple products e.g. apple rings which cannot be liquidized. We developed a method to solve this problem and validated it for precision, accuracy and linearity at 10, 30 and 50 ppb. The method is based on solid phase extraction and isocratic separation on HPLC-DAD. Depectinization was found to reduce patulin recoveries and was therefore avoided. Eight industrial samples were analysed and all of them were well within the recommended range of 25 ppb patulin concentration in solid apple products and compotes.

Apple pomace as a source of dietary fiber and polyphenols and its effect on the rheological characteristics and cake making

Apple pomace, a by-product of apple juice industry, is a rich source of fibre and polyphenols. Also in view of the antioxidant property of pomace, it would play an important role in prevention of diseases. Apple pomace procured from fruit juice industry, contained 10.8% moisture, 0.5% ash and 51.1% of dietary fibre. Finely ground apple pomace was incorporated in wheat flour at 5%, 10% and 15% levels and studied for rheological characteristics. Water absorption increased significantly from 60.1% to 70.6% with increase in pomace from 0% to 15%. Dough stability decreased and mixing tolerance index increased, indicating weakening of the dough. Resistance to extension values significantly increased from 336 to 742 BU whereas extensibility values decreased from 127 to 51 mm. Amylograph studies showed decrease in peak viscosity and cold paste viscosity from 950 to 730 BU and 1760 to 970 BU respectively. Cakes were prepared from blends of wheat flour containing 0–30% apple pomace. The volume of cakes decreased from 850 to 620 cc with increase in pomace content from 0% to 30%. Cakes prepared from 25% of apple pomace had a dietary fibre content of 14.2% The total phenol content in wheat flour and apple pomace was 1.19 and 7.16 mg/g respectively where as cakes prepared from 0% and 25% apple pomace blends had 2.07 and 3.15 mg/g indicating that apple pomace can serve as a good source of both polyphenols and dietary fibre.

Evaluation of several culture media for production of patulin by Penicillium species

The aim of this study was to evaluate different species of Penicillium to identify those which have the potential to produce the greatest amount of the mycotoxin, patulin. Additionally, six different culture media were compared to determine maximum patulin production. Eleven different strains of Penicillium species were selected because they had previously been reported to be producers of patulin. The strains included Penicillium expansum, Penicillium griseofulvum (formerly Penicillium urticae), Penicillium clavigerum, and Penicillium coprobium and a recent Penicillium sp. isolated from an apple. Cultures were grown in duplicate in three different liquid media: potato dextrose, malt extract, and glucose/yeast extract/peptone, both with and without manganese supplementation. Patulin production was compared at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. Variability in patulin production occurred among the different species, growth media used, and time of incubation. All three of the P. griseofulvum isolates were the highest producers of patulin at 96 h. For most of the strains, potato dextrose broth supplemented with manganese was optimal for maximum production of patulin. Although P. expansum is frequently cited as the most likely source of patulin in apple juice, certain other Penicillium species are capable of producing more patulin than strains of P. expansum. The apple juice industry should be alert to the possibility that Penicillium species other than P. expansum can be responsible for the occurrence of patulin.

Isolation and identification of procyanidins in apple pomace

The chemical nature of the procyanidin components in apple pomace was investigated as part of a programme seeking alternative uses of the large quantity of pomace that is being generated from the apple juice industry. The homogeneous nature of the procyanidin fractions was demonstrated by the isolation and identification of a range of epicatechin oligomers, namely epicatechin-(4β-6) epicatechin, epicatechin (4β-8) epicatechin, epicatechin (4β-8) epicatechin (4β-8) epicatechin and epicatechin (4β-8) epicatechin (4β-8) epicatechin (4β-8)-epicatechin. The procyanidin polymers were also isolated and purified by a Sephadex LH20 column and shown to consist exclusively of epicatechin units. The chemical structures of these procyanidins were established by 13C-NMR spectroscopy, by acid-catalysed degradation reaction with phloroglucinol and by electrospray mass spectrometry.