Effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on sensory characteristics of yellow passion fruit juice

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high hydrostatic pressure on the sensory properties of passion fruit juice by quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). The growing demand in Brazil for processed fruit pulp arouses juice industry interest to search for novel technologies with competitive advantages. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is an innovative technology which minimizes loss of sensory and nutritional quality, as compared to pasteurization, matching consumer demands for fresh-like foods. QDA and principal components analysis (PCA) results revealed high similarity among juice sensory attributes from in natura and pressurized samples both differing from commercial ones. Results suggest that HHP may be successfully used to preserve yellow passion fruit pulp, yielding a ready to drink juice with improved sensory quality, as compared to commercial juices available in the Brazilian market and evaluated in this study. The findings achieved in the study have important implication to the industry, because they demonstrated the positive effect of pressurization on the sensory properties of passion fruit juice. Pressurized juice should meet consumer’s expectation and demand regarding a more natural, and free of cooked and artificial flavor attributes, yielding a product more similar to the freshly made one.