Vitamin C Stability in Fruit Juices: Impact of Non-Thermal Processing on Nutritional Quality and Safety

This review emphasizes significance of Vitamin C as an essential water-soluble antioxidant found in fruit juices and reviews its sensitivity to heat throughout processing. The goal of this review is to integrate current knowledge regarding the variables impacting Vitamin C stability and to assess non-thermal processing technologies as substitutes for traditional heat treatments. Heat processing, though effective in microbial safety, generally results in a 50-70% reduction in natural Vitamin C levels. Recent research shows that non-thermal technologies like pulsed electric field, high-pressure processing, pulsed light, ultrasonication, ultraviolet, and cold plasma deliver better Vitamin C yields often more than 90% without compromising the natural flavor, color, and nutritional integrity of fruit juices. For example, pineapple juice treated with pulsed light retained 71% Vit C against 41% through thermal pasteurization, and cold plasma-treated tomato juice retained up to 95%. Together, these non-thermal technologies provide a promising way to ensure the nutritional integrity and sensory properties of fruit juices. Future research should aim at optimizing hurdle technology for industrial applications, allowing for energy-efficient, safe, and nutrient-preserving processing of fruit beverages.