Power ultrasound enhanced the flavor quality of tomato juice

The loss of flavor in modern tomato cultivars represents a great challenge for the food industry. This study investigated the potential of power ultrasound as an innovative approach to improve tomato juice flavor by releasing bound volatiles.

It was found that power ultrasound offered a more viable, environmentally friendly technique for enhancing the aroma of tomato juice compared with enzymatic or acid hydrolysis methods. There were significant differences in the released aromas among these three methods: Ultrasound primarily released alcohols and esters, with the characteristic volatiles being trans-2-hexenol and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one. Enzymatic hydrolysis primarily released glycosides such as alcohols and aldehydes, with the characteristic volatiles being hexanal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, β-damascenone, methyl salicylate and phenylethyl alcohol. Acid hydrolysis mainly released ketones and alkenes, with the characteristic volatiles being hexanal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, β-damascenone, methyl salicylate and trans-2-hexenol. Ultrasound parameters could be varied to improve the level of flavors of tomato juice with the optimal parameters being 40 °C, 10 min, 600 W L^-1 ultrasound density and 50% duty cycle.

The present investigation will provide a reference for aroma-enhancing application of power ultrasound. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.