Effects of Pulsed Electric Field and Thermal Treatments on Microbial Reduction, Volatile Composition, and Sensory Properties of Orange Juice, and Their Characterization by a Principal Component Analysis

• Main Authors: Hyesoo Lee, Sehun Choi, Euichan Kim, Ye-Na Kim, Jihyun Lee, Dong-Un Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: orange juice; pulsed electric field; sensory attribute; volatile
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/1/186

The effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments on microbial reduction, volatile composition, and sensory characteristics of orange juice were investigated. Mild (Thermal-1) and intensive (Thermal-2) thermal treatments were applied for comparison. A pilot-scale PEF system, with a flow rate of 30 L/h and maximum field strength of 20 kV/cm, was used. PEF treatment at a specific energy of 150 kJ/L resulted in 9.0 and 8.0 decimal reductions of <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, respectively. The PEF treatments preserved the characteristic compounds associated with a fresh flavor (e.g., dl-limonene, β-myrcene, α-pinene, and valencene) more effectively than an intensive thermal treatment. This was verified by descriptive analysis of sensory evaluations. Based on the principal component analyses (PCAs) and partial least-squares (PLS) regression analyses, PEF-treated orange juice showed higher similarity to untreated orange juice. Our results indicate that PEF may be an alternative processing technique that can preserve the fresh flavor and taste of freshly squeezed orange juice.