Effect of Ohmic Heating on the Quality and Stability of Carrot and Orange Juice Blend

Abstract

Carrots (Daucus carota) and oranges (Citrus cinensis) are widely consumed in raw form but blending these commodities in the form of juice blend enhances their palatability and boosts their nutritional value. Conventional heating poses challenges such as nutrition loss and uneven heating while ohmic heating being a novel and efficient technique, employs an electric current to ensure rapid and uniform heating. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of ohmic heating on safety and quality parameters during storage period of juice blend. Seven different treatments were applied including T0 (Control), T1 (100 V and 300 s), T2 (100 V and 450 s), T3 (100 V and 600 s), T4 (120 V and 300 s), T5 (120 V and 450 s) and T6 (120 V and 600 s). Physicochemical, phytochemical, microbial and sensory evaluation were determined, and storage study of 2 weeks was conducted to check the safety and nutritional quality of the juice blend. The results showed that the lowest pH was 4.31±0.1 for T6 at 0-day, highest total titratable acidity was 0.72±0.02 for T6 at 0-day, highest total soluble solids were 13.0±0.2 for T6 at 14-day, highest color values were observed for T0 and highest vitamin C values were 4.18±0.26 for T0 at 0 day. The highest total phenolic content was 27.81±0.24 for T6 at 0 day. The lowest total plate count (0.86±0.02) and total coliform count (4.77±0.15) were observed for T6 at 0 day. The best treatment was T6 with lowest total plate and total coliform count, enhanced the quality attributes of juice blend and had the best sensory acceptability. Thus, indicated that ohmic heating is the best treatment to enhance the quality and shelf life of juice blend alternative to conventional heating. Keywords: Refresh mix, energy efficiency, nutrition retention, market fit and future advocacy.