Effects of Pulsed Electric Fields on the Quality of Orange Juice and Comparison with Heat Pasteurization

Effects of pulsed electric fields (PEF) at 35 kV/cm for 59 μs on the quality of orange juice were investigated and compared with those of heat pasteurization at 94.6 °C for 30 s. The PEF treatment prevented the growth of microorganisms at 4, 22, and 37 °C for 112 days and inactivated 88% of pectin methyl esterase (PME) activity. The PEF-treated orange juice retained greater amounts of vitamin C and the five representative flavor compounds than the heat-pasteurized orange juice during storage at 4 °C (p < 0.05). The PEF-treated orange juice had lower browning index, higher whiteness (L), and higher hue angle (θ) values than the heat-pasteurized orange juice during storage at 4 °C (p < 0.05). The PEF-treated orange juice had a smaller particle size than the heat-pasteurized orange juice (p < 0.05). °Brix and pH values were not significantly affected by processing methods (p > 0.05). Keywords: Pulsed electric fields (PEF); orange juice; pectin methyl esterase (PME); flavor compounds; vitamin C