Pulsed light processing of sugarcane juice: quality evaluation and microbial load assessment

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Microbiology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Sugarcane juice is prone to microbial spoilage and browning.
• Pulsed light (PL) processing is explored as a novel method for preservation.
• Investigating PL's impact on juice quality, bioactive content, and microbial load.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of pulsed light (PL) processing on sugarcane juice quality.
• To determine the optimal PL parameters for microbial inactivation.
• To assess the retention of bioactive compounds under PL treatment.

Main Methods:

• PL treatment applied at varying voltages (2.1-2.7 kV) and pulse numbers (100-200).
• Microbial load (aerobic mesophiles, yeast, mold, coliforms) quantified.
• Bioactive components (total phenols, antioxidant capacity) and quality parameters (color, pH, soluble solids) analyzed.

Main Results:

• Microbial load reduced below 1 log CFU/mL at 2.7 kV.
• Total color difference remained below 4.0.
• Total phenols and antioxidant capacity reductions were limited to 6% and 16.7% respectively at 2.7 kV/200 pulses.
• pH and total soluble solids were unaffected.
• Treatment voltage significantly impacted quality and microbial load.

Conclusions:

• PL processing at 2.1 kV/170 pulses achieved optimal microbial reduction and quality.
• PL treatment enhances microbial stability while preserving bioactive components in sugarcane juice.
• This technology offers potential for food industry adoption to improve shelf life.