Effects of Non-Thermal Processing Methods on Physicochemical, Bioactive, and Microbiological Properties of Fresh Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr.) Juice

Pineapple juice processing is an art of preservation, and the processing technologies play important role in pineapple juice quality. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the potential impacts of non-thermal processing methods on the physicochemical, bioactive, and microbiological properties of fresh pineapple juice.

Extracted juices were subjected to several non-thermal processes including microwave processing, vacuum evaporation, mild pasteurization, pulsed electric field, and ultra-sonication. Physicochemical properties including Total Soluble Solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity, and color; Total Phenolic Content (TPC); Total Anthocyanin Content (TAC); antioxidant capacity; and microbiological properties were evaluated. Data were statistically analyzed by Minitab statistical software (version: 18.1).

TSS, pH, acidity (%) of processed juices ranged from 11.03-12.03, 4.07-4.27, and 0.42-0.49, respectively. In terms of color properties both ultra-sonication and microwave processing showed the highest values of L*(luminosity), a* (redness), and b* (yellow). The highest TPC was reported in ultra-sonication treatment 11.996±0.002 mg Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE)/100 ml. The TAC varied from 0.179-0.235 mg Total Anthocyanin (TA)/100 ml, where ultra-sonication and mild pasteurization treatment yielded the highest and lowest contents, respectively.

Perfect phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, retention of anthocyanin content, and attractive color in pineapple juices when treated with non-thermal techniques.DOI: 10.18502/jfqhc.9.3.11150