Effects of High-Intensity Pulsed Electric Fields on Lipoxygenase and Hydroperoxide Lyase Activities in Tomato Juice

ABSTRACT:  The influence of high-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF) parameters, namely, pulse frequency, pulse width, and polarity on tomato juice lipoxygenase (LOX) and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) activities was studied using a response surface methodology. Samples were subjected to square-shaped pulses of 35 kV/cm for 1000 μs, with pulse width ranging from 1 to 7 μs at frequencies from 50 to 250 Hz, either in monopolar or bipolar mode. Tomato LOX was more resistant to HIPEF than HPL within the range of assayed conditions. An increase in frequency or pulse width resulted in a decrease of both residual LOX ( RA_LOX ) and HPL ( RA_HPL ) activities. The lowest  RA_LOX  (81%) was observed when tomato juice was treated at 250 Hz for 7 μs in bipolar mode. Moreover, the same conditions led to the highest HPL activity reduction ( RA_HPL  = 10%). A validation of the predictive models determined that 2nd-order expressions were accurate enough to fit the experimental results.