The Effect of Cold Plasma on the Enzymatic Activity and Quality Characteristics of Mango Pulp

The ability to produce cold plasma in the atmosphere provides new opportunities for the decontamination of biological materials including fresh food. This technology is also used to inactivate endogenous enzymes, especially polyphenol oxidase and peroxidases, which are responsible for browning reactions. This study investigated the effect of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma (DBDP) on the inactivation of enzymatic activity and some quality parameters in mango pulp. Results showed that DBDP treatment up to 10 min resulted in a reduction of polyphenol oxidase (10.85%), peroxidase (5.15%), and pectin methyl esterase (5.25 %) activities, aerobic plate count (16.6%), and yeast and mold count (18.8%) activities. An improvement was observed in physicochemical (especially viscosity and firmness values) and phytochemical (i.e. ascorbic acid, total phenol content) profiles as well as color values with increase DBDP treatment time until 6 min. This study provides the impact of DBDP time on the enzymatic activities and quality characteristics (especially phytochemical profiles) of mango pulp. Therefore, it is possible to use it as a new non-thermal alternative technology for pasteurizing mango pulp instead of thermal treatment.