Pulsed Electric Field Processing of Orange Juice: A Review on Microbial,Enzymatic, Nutritional,and Sensory Quality and Stability

During the last decades pulsed electric field (PEF) processing received considerable attention due to its potential to enhance food products or create alternatives to conventional methods in food processing. It is generally acknowledged that PEF processing can deliver safe and chill‐stable fruit juices with fresh‐like sensory and nutritional properties. Relatively low‐processing temperature and short residence times can achieve highly effective inactivation of microorganisms while retaining product quality. A first commercial application of PEF for preservation of fruit juices was launched in 2006 in the United States. Since then, industrial‐scale processing equipment for liquid and solid products were developed and, in Europe in 2009, an industrial juice preservation line was installed using 20 kV/cm pulses at 40 to 50 °C to extend the chill‐stability of fruit juices, including citrus juices and smoothies, from 6 to 21 d. The related PEF processing costs are in the range of US $0.02 to 0.03 per liter and are justified due to access to new markets and reduced return of spoiled product. However, despite its commercial success there are still many unknown factors associated with PEF processing of fruit and citrus juices and many conflicting reports in the literature. This literature review, therefore, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current scientific knowledge of PEF effects on microbial, enzymatic, nutritional, and sensory quality and stability of orange juices.     

PROCESSING OF YOGURT-BASED PRODUCTS WITH PULSED ELECTRIC FIELDS: MICROBIAL, SENSORY AND PHYSICAL EVALUATIONS

Yogurt-based products similar to a dairy pudding dessert were formulated and processed by mild heat and pulsed electric fields (PEF) to investigate the effects of combined mild heat and PEF treatment on the microbial stability and quality of high viscosity foods. Commercial plain low fat yogurt was mixed with fruit jelly and corn syrup and processed by mild heat treatment at 60C for 30 s and 30 kV/cm electric field strength for 32 μs total treatment time using OSU-2C pilot plant scale PEF system. Control and processed products were aseptically packaged and stored at 4 and 22C. Mild heat combined with PEF treatment significantly decreased the total viable aerobic bacteria and total mold and yeast of yogurt-based products during storage at both 4 and 22C (P ≤ 0.05). Mild heat treatment alone without any PEF treatment did not prevent the growth of microorganisms in yogurt-based products. Sensory evaluation indicated that there was no significant difference between the control and processed products (P ≤ 0.05). Color, pH and °Brix were not significantly affected by mild heat and PEF processing conditions.     

Invited review: Plasmin protease in milk: current knowledge and relevance to dairy industry

Plasmin is by far the predominant and most completely studied endogenous protease in bovine milk. Plasmin-induced proteolysis can have either beneficial or detrimental effects on the texture and flavor of dairy products, depending on the extent of hydrolysis and type of dairy product. In cheese, the breakdown of protein can help develop desirable flavors and texture during ripening, whereas in pasteurized milk and ultra-high-temperature milk, proteolysis causes undesirable gelation. Plasmin is part of a complex protease-protease inhibitor system in milk that consists of active and inactive forms of the enzyme, activators, and inhibitors. Considerable research has been done to isolate and characterize components of the plasmin system, determine how they interact, develop and compare quantitation methods, and determine how they are affected by cow characteristics, processing conditions, other milk components, storage conditions, and bacterial proteases. Considerable research has focused on enhancing or minimizing the activity of plasmin system components. The intent has been to control protease activity in casein and whey fractions, depending on the final food or ingredient application. Controlling the activity of plasmin has a great potential to improve dairy product quality and reduce their processing costs.     

Quality-Related Enzymes in Plant-Based Products: Effects of Novel Food Processing Technologies Part 2: Pulsed Electric Field Processing

Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing is an effective technique for the preservation of pumpable food products as it inactivates vegetative microbial cells at ambient to moderate temperature without significantly affecting the nutritional and sensorial quality of the product. However, conflicting views are expressed about the effect of PEF on enzymes. In this review, which is part 2 of a series of reviews dealing with the effectiveness of novel food preservation technologies for controlling enzymes, the scientific literature over the last decade on the effect of PEF on plant enzymes is critically reviewed to shed more light on the issue. The existing evidence indicates that PEF can result in substantial inactivation of most enzymes, although a much more intense process is required compared to microbial inactivation. Depending on the processing condition and the origin of the enzyme, up to 97% inactivation of pectin methylesterase, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase as well as no inactivation have been reported following PEF treatment. Both electrochemical effects and Ohmic heating appear to contribute to the observed inactivation, although the relative contribution depends on a number of factors including the origin of the enzyme, the design of the PEF treatment chamber, the processing condition, and the composition of the medium.     

蛋白质组学技术及其在乳及乳制品中的应用研究进展

蛋白质组学技术是近年来生命科学研究的重要工具,在食品、医学及动植物研究领域具有独特优势。利用蛋白质组学技术研究乳及乳制品,深入阐明其中蛋白质的表达及动态变化已成为当前的研究热点。该文主要综述了蛋白质组学的概念、常用技术及应用领域,重点介绍蛋白质组学在乳及乳制品领域,特别是在乳脂肪球膜蛋白、乳清蛋白、乳及乳制品加工过程以及干酪制品中的研究应用,探讨了目前乳及乳制品蛋白质组学研究中存在的问题与局限,并对蛋白质组学及其在乳及乳制品中的应用前景进行了总结与展望,为应用蛋白质组学技术深入研究乳及乳制品提供了理论依据。     

高压脉冲电场提取食品中天然产物的研究进展

高压脉冲电场是当今国际上最热门、最先进的杀菌技术之一,它通过改变细胞的渗透性,而引起细胞死亡或加快细胞内溶质的扩散。目前已将PEF的非热加工机理应用于天然产物的提取中。文章介绍PEF在天然产物提取中的作用原理及其影响因素,主要综述其提取作用在食品工业中的应用,为PEF在天然产物提取方面的研究提供参考。     

Electrical Conductivities of Liquid Egg Products and Fruit Juices Exposed to High Pulsed Electric Fields

Electrical conductivity can be used to monitor important changes in a food product during pulsed electric field (PEF) processing. Electrical conductivities of selected fruit juices (namely apple, orange, and pineapple juices) and liquid egg products (namely whole egg, yolk, and egg white) were determined online during a PEF treatment. The property was measured at broad processing temperatures ranging from 5 to 55°C. Electrical conductivity increased linearly with increasing temperatures for all the products. The liquid egg products have the highest overall electrical conductivity varying from 0.22 to 1.1 S/m whereas fruit juice products have the lowest electrical conductivity ranging from 0.13 to 0.63 S/m. Regression equations of electrical conductivity as functions of temperature were developed. This paper provides a database and equation correlations of food electrical conductivity that could be used to design and optimize PEF process.     

Comparing equivalent thermal, high pressure and pulsed electric field processes for mild pasteurization of orange juice: Part II: Impact on specific chemical and biochemical quality parameters

The impact of thermal, high pressure (HP) and pulsed electric field (PEF) processing for mild pasteurization of orange juice was compared on a fair basis, using processing conditions leading to an equivalent degree of microbial inactivation. Examining the effect on specific chemical and biochemical quality parameters directly after treatment and during storage at 4 °C revealed only significant differences in residual enzyme activities. For pectin methylesterase inactivation, none of the treatments was able to cause a complete inactivation, although heat and HP pasteurization were the most effective in limiting the residual activity. Peroxidase was completely inactivated by heat pasteurization and was much less susceptible to HP and PEF. All other quality parameters investigated, including the sugar profile, the organic acid profile, bitter compounds, vitamin C (ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid), the carotenoid profile, furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, experienced no significantly different impact from the three pasteurization techniques.

Industrial relevance

HP and PEF processing have received important attention during the last years for application as alternatives to traditional thermal pasteurization. For the further implementation of HP and PEF treatment in the food industry, legal approval of such processes is required. Accordingly, an in-depth characterization of products treated by these novel technologies is indispensable. This paper addresses orange juice as a relevant model food product to compare the impact of HP and PEF processing with that of a conventional thermal pasteurization process and to search for significant differences in specific known nutrients, undesired substances and other quality-related aspects of orange juice.     

PEF as pretreatment to ultrasound-assisted convective drying: Influence on quality parameters of orange peel

Pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatments and ultrasound (US) application are techniques previously used to enhance the drying operation, not only increasing the kinetics but improving product quality. Because PEF pretreatments could affect product structure and US influence depends on the internal structure of products, the combination of both techniques could have a synergistic effect. Thus, the influence of the combined application of pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatments and ultrasound (US) during drying on the color, total phenolic content, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity of orange peel was studied. To this end, a series of drying experiments (50 °C) was performed without and with ultrasound application (20.5 kW/m³) and with and without PEF pretreatments (1.20 kV/cm) for two different times, 200 μs (0.37 kJ/kg) and 600 μs (1.12 kJ/kg). Thus, when individually applied, ultrasound significantly shortened the drying time, and PEF pretreatments slightly extended the process. However, the shortest drying time was observed combining 200 μs PEF pretreatment and ultrasound. This combination also provided the more similar color parameter to the fresh samples and significantly increased the percentage of phenolic compound retention. In addition, every treatment with PEF exhibited a similar percentage of ascorbic acid retention, and only the longer pretreatment (600 μs) produced a reduction in the antioxidant activity retention. Therefore, the combined use of a PEF pretreatment and ultrasound application during orange peel drying can lead to an interesting way both to shorten the drying process and preserve important compounds.     

Hot topic: Sonication increases the heat stability of whey proteins

The thickening or gelling of protein-based dairy streams and ingredients upon exposure to heat has been an ongoing problem in dairy processing for many decades. This phenomenon can restrict the range of dairy product options and reduce manufacturing efficiencies by limiting the type and extent of heat treatment that can be used. In this report, we outline a novel approach to overcoming this problem. The use of preheating treatments to induce whey protein aggregate formation in whey products is well known in the field. However, we show that the application of ultrasound for a very short duration after such a heating step breaks down these aggregates and prevents their reformation on subsequent heating, thereby reducing the viscosity increase that is usually associated with this process. This novel technique has the potential to provide significant economic benefit to the dairy manufacturing industry.     

燕麦在乳制品中的应用及其研究进展

分析了红心火龙果果酒生产过程中褐变度和主要致褐因子的变化规律,并采用统计方法进行了相关性分析。结果表明:红心火龙果果酒在陈酿过程中先由紫红色转变为红色,最后转变为黄色;其中,褐变度与多酚氧化酶、甜菜红素呈负相关,相关性系数r分别为-0.8520和-0.9070,达到极显著水平(p<0.01),可以推断,其褐变本质是甜菜红素通过酶促反应降解为甜菜黄素。该结果为褐变调控措施的选择与实施奠定理论基础。     

Impact of pulsed electric fields on physical properties of freeze-dried apple tissue

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment of apple tissue on kinetics of freeze-drying preceded by vacuum freezing and physical properties of such processed material. PEF intensified freeze-drying kinetics and thus reduced processing time by 57% in comparison to untreated apples slices. Furthermore, the effective water diffusion coefficient increased by 44% as a result of PEF application. Water activity changes during storage of freeze-dried apple tissue were more evident in the case of untreated material albeit initial water activity was higher in the case of electroporated samples. As proved by thermal properties measurements these differences were linked to higher crystallinity of the PEF treated samples (35.5%) in comparison to the untreated material (11.0%). The freeze-dried fruits subjected to PEF pretreatment absorbed more water than the untreated samples while no changes were observed for hygroscopicity and loss of the soluble solids during rehydration.Industrial relevanceObtained results confirm that application of pulsed electric field before freeze-drying makes possible to obtain high quality freeze-dried product preceded by vacuum freezing performed inside freeze-dryer which could reduce freeze-drying time. Since the rehydration capacity of PEF treated material, expressed as ability to absorb water, is better than untreated samples the application of this method could be beneficial when designing instant products. Performed research indicates also that PEF treated freeze-dried apples exhibit better stability expressed by water activity which in turn is related to crystallinity. What more, higher crystallinity of PEF pre-treated freeze-dried samples not only complements the explanation of different physical properties in comparison with intact freeze-dried material but also suggest that sensorial properties may vary.     

Use of ultrasound for characterizing dairy products

It has been known for a long time that acoustic measurements offer some unique features for characterizing liquid food products in their intact state, without any preparation or destruction of the product sample. Acoustic characterization can yield information about fat content, droplet size distribution, and kinetics of product variation with time. Furthermore, acoustic methods are very attractive for on-line process control. This paper addresses several questions: Why does ultrasound attenuate when propagating through a heterogeneous system? What properties of dairy products can be extracted from such ultrasound measurements? Which measurement is better for product characterization: attenuation or sound speed? What measurement precision is required to adequately characterize product properties? What frequency range is of most value for determining these product properties?It is possible to provide answers to many of these questions using experimental data, thereby avoiding, for the moment, any complex mathematical analysis. We present several applications of acoustic spectroscopy for characterizing dairy products, including characterization of the fat content in a wide variety of dairy products; calculation of the fat droplet size distribution in milk without dilution; and calculation of water droplet size in butter, without dilution or melting.     

Pulsed electric fields and their impact on the diffusion characteristics of potato slices

Mass transfer in potato slices and strips after Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) treatment was examined to evaluate potential application of PEF in potato processing. PEF treatment on cell material leads to pore formation in cell membrane and thus modifies diffusion of intra- and extracellular media. Results showed enhanced release of intracellular molecules from permeabilized tissue as well as improved uptake of low molecular substances into the sample. Sugar, one substrate for the Maillard reaction, was decreased in PEF treated potatoes, while conductivity increased after electroporation and soaking in sodium chloride solution, indicating the improved diffusion of salt caused by PEF. Higher release of cell liquid during drying of PEF treated potatoes was noticed in comparison to untreated potato slices. This effect increased with the treatment intensity. Furthermore, it was revealed that PEF application leads to a distinct reduction of fat content after deep fat frying and thus provides a potential for the production of low-fat French fries. It can be presumed that PEF is a capable assistance to thermal treatments in the processing of potato chips or French fries for the achievement of structural modifications and improved process conditions.     

食品安全防护体系在出口乳品企业的建立与应用

就对乳制品企业的食品安全防护体系建立和措施的应用进行简单的阐述,从实际出发切实做好乳品防护工作,保证产品的安全性。     

Impact of pilot-scale processing (thermal,PEF, HPP) on the stability and bioaccessibility of polyphenols and proteins in mixed protein- and polyphenol-rich juice systems

Due to health-beneficial effects of polyphenols, their stability and bioaccessibility in strawberry puree as influenced by processing (thermal, pulsed electric field (PEF), high pressure processing (HPP)) and by combination with relatively protein-rich vegetable juice (kale) was investigated.Soluble strawberry anthocyanins decreased in the presence of kale, in a processing-dependent manner, likely due to interactions with kale proteins. In the strawberry-water-system, polyphenols increased after processing due to increased extraction, especially after thermal and PEF, while in the mix anthocyanins increased especially after HPP and PEF. Anthocyanin structure affected the ratio of free anthocyanins after the interaction. During gastric digestion, an increase in bioaccessible anthocyanins was observed, while during intestinal digestion it strongly diminished. Thermal, PEF and formulation of the mix reduced soluble protein fractions, as observed by decreasing SDS-PAGE band intensity. The proteins were easily digestible and after 15 min of gastric digestion, no bands appeared with an increase in TCA soluble peptides.Industrial relevanceWith the increase in health awareness and the changing on-the-go lifestyle, consumers demand convenient fruit and vegetable-based products with high nutritional and health-promoting content. Thus, utilization of alternative processing with minimal impact on the quality of fruit and vegetable juices is considered as a promising tool to deliver such high nutritional products, however, little is known about their effect on multi-component juice systems, where interactions between the different components can occur. Strawberries are the most commonly consumed berry type, delivering high quantities of polyphenols and therefore a representative polyphenol-rich model system. Kale is gaining increasing attention due to the nutritional profile, above others, it contains relatively (to other fruits and vegetables) high protein content, and therefore displays an interesting vegetable-based protein-rich model. A more in-depth understanding of the effect of alternative processing on polyphenol-protein interactions in these increasingly popular mixed systems (green smoothies) and the digestive fate of these potentially health-beneficial compounds is studied and provides new insights into designing functional products attractive for consumers.     

脉冲电场在固体食品加工中的应用

脉冲电场(pulsed electric field, PEF)技术被视为21世纪食品非热加工技术发展史上的里程碑之一。迄今为止, PEF已广泛应用于果汁、牛奶和液态蛋等液体食品的杀菌和钝酶,并朝着商业化道路前进。然而,与PEF在液体食品中的应用相比,其在固体食品中的应用还处于起步阶段。固体食品的表面虽然也富含微生物,但PEF处理这类食品对微生物的影响较小,因此不能将其应用于固体食品的杀菌保鲜。仅管如此, PEF诱导的细胞电穿孔使其可作为一种预处理方法 ,通过增加质量和能量传递效率的方式来进行辅助固体食品的干燥、冻融、烹饪等。因此,本文重点介绍基于PEF细胞响应的高品质食品加工应用,总结PEF处理室的特点及PEF预处理固体食品的相关机制。最后,本文探讨了PEF在固体食品加工中的主要障碍和前景,为PEF未来在食品行业的发展拓宽研究方向。     

预测微生物学在乳品安全领域的研究进展

乳品中含有丰富的营养物质,易被有害微生物污染,进而影响消费者身体健康。不同乳品由于自身属性、加工条件和所处环境的不同,被微生物污染的状况也不一样。预测微生物学可以根据微生物在乳品储藏、运输和加工技术条件下的生长存活情况,通过建立模型,判断其动态变化趋势,从而帮助科研人员和生产者有效评估和控制乳品安全,也为加工工艺改进提供信息。本文介绍了预测微生物学模型的分类及乳品安全方面常用的预测微生物学模型和数据测定方法,阐述了预测微生物学在控制乳品微生物风险中的应用,并针对预测微生物学在乳品安全领域应用中存在的问题进行了探讨,展望了其未来发展方向,旨在为保障乳品安全提供参考。     

Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence-based characterization of fungal isolates from multiple yogurt facilities—A case study

Fungal spoilage remains a significant issue in dairy product quality, especially for cultured dairy products such as yogurt formulated without preservatives such as potassium sorbate. Fungal contamination can occur throughout the processing continuum, from the dairy farm environment to the finished product processing environment. As molecular characterization of fungal isolates is used more frequently, we obtained fungal isolates obtained in 2 yogurt processing facilities as part of routine fungal testing of raw materials (e.g., fruit preparations, added ingredients), in-process product samples, environmental samples (e.g., air plates, equipment surfaces such as valves, face plates, air nozzles), and finished product samples, to determine whether internal transcribed spacer (ITS) barcoding data would be helpful to support source tracking of fungal contamination issues. Internal transcribed spacer PCR amplification and sequencing allowed us to classify the 852 isolates from these 2 facilities into 200 unique ITS allelic types (AT), representing the phyla Ascomycota (743 isolates), Basidiomycota (97 isolates), and Mucoromycota (12 isolates). Thirty ITS AT were isolated from both facilities; 62 and 108 ITS AT were isolated from only facility A or only facility B, respectively. Nine ITS AT were each represented by more than 20 isolates; these AT comprised 53% of the 852 isolates. The considerable diversity of fungal isolates even within a single facility illustrates the challenge associated with controlling fungal contamination of dairy products. The ITS barcoding technique, however, did show promise for facilitating the source tracking of fungal contamination, particularly for ITS AT over-represented in a given facility. For example, we found evidence for equipment-specific reservoirs for 2 AT (14 and 219) in facility B. Our data suggest that despite its limited discriminatory power, ITS sequencing can provide initial information that can help trace fungal contamination along the processing continuum. However, development and implementation of discriminatory subtyping methods will be needed to further improve the ability to identify sources of fungal contamination in dairy facilities. Developing and implementing sampling plans that comprehensively capture yeast and mold diversity in a given processing facility remain a considerable challenge.