Colour changes in concentrated juices of prickly pear (opuntia ficus indica) during storage at different temperatures

Abstract

The effect of storage time and temperature upon the colour of concentrated juice of prickly pears (Opuntia ficus indica) was studied. Mathematical models were developed to predict colour variation of concentrated and reconstituted juices, as a function of the CIELAB parameters (official measure system of the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage). An increase in a* and a marked modification of the hue angle H* with time and temperature was observed in the concentrated juice. Parameters a* and b* also increased in the reconstituted juice and increased even more at higher temperatures and longer times. The sensory evaluation of the colour acceptability indicated that reconstituted juices were more acceptable at shorter storage times than the respective concentrated juices. An equation which predicts the sensory response as a function of the CIELAB parameters was also derived. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.