Nonthermal technologies’ impact on quality, safety of juices
A paper published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety examines the impact of nonthermal technologies on the microbiological quality of juices.
Fruit and vegetable juices are rich sources of nutrients that support microbiological growth and ultimately undergo rapid deterioration of safety and quality. A paper published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety examines the impact of nonthermal technologies on the microbiological quality of juices. The loss of nutritional quality of juices due to intensive thermal processing is a major problem encountered during the treatment of commercially preserved liquid foods.
As the authors detail in the paper, conventional thermal processing technologies inactivate microorganisms and enzymes and extend the shelf life of foods but exert negative effects on nutritional and organoleptic properties of juices. For example, the juice could experience a loss of vitamins, of desirable flavor, and of bioactive compounds, and develop different sensory profiles as a result of heating.
The authors explore nonthermal technologies including ultrasonication, pulsed electric field, high-pressure processing, irradiation, and their combinations and find they are “suitable alternatives for achieving the same preservation effect without the adverse effects of heat on the quality of juices.” They also help meet consumer demand for clean label, safe, and wholesome products without compromising their nutritional properties.