Comparative analysis of aroma and phenolic compounds in strawberry nectar subjected to equivalent thermal, ohmic heating, high pressure, and pulsed electric fields processes at pilot scale

Pavon-Vargas, Dario (author), Šimkova, Kristyna (author), Puzović, Alema (author), Moreno Barreto, Andrés (author), Gędas, Astrid (author), Murray, Helen (author), Rabeeah, Ibrahim (author), Rincon, Sebastian (author), Truong, Ngoc Quynh Anh (author), Zavarise, Alberto (author), Zia, Hassan (author), Jakopič, Jerneja (author), Mikulič Petkovšek, Maja (author), Slatnar, Ana (author), Halbwirth, Heidi (author), Cattani, Luca (author)

This study investigates the effects of four preservation treatments: thermal pasteurization (TP), ohmic heating (OH), high-pressure processing (HPP), and pulsed electric fields (PEF), on the aroma and phenolic compounds of strawberry nectar, under equivalent microbial inactivation conditions (5-log reduction) on pilot-scale systems. Changes during 60 days of storage at 4 °C were also evaluated. HPP was the most effective method for retaining aroma compounds, with initial levels of 5.29 ± 0.03 mg/L, closely to the untreated samples, while TP showed the lowest retention (2.94 ± 0.13 mg/L). During storage, HPP-treated samples had a 41.6 % reduction in aroma compounds but still the highest remaining concentrations after storage compared to the other treatments. Key aroma markers, such as mesifurane, methyl and ethyl butyrate, were significantly better preserved in HPP and PEF treated samples compared to TP and OH. Phenolic content followed a similar trend: immediately after treatment HPP and PEF samples exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC), including anthocyanins like pelargonidin-3-glucoside, which constituted up to 81 % of total anthocyanins. Non-thermal methods (HPP and PEF) preserved phenolics better than TP, although differences between treatments were not significant after 60 days of storage. OH demonstrated intermediate performance due to its uniform heating process that minimized thermal degradation. Overall, non-thermal methods emerged as the most effective for preserving both aroma and phenolic profiles, followed by OH, while TP resulted in the greatest losses. These findings highlight the potential of non-thermal and alternative thermal technologies over thermal pasteurization to maintain the sensory and nutritional quality of fruit-based beverages.

• Language: English
• Keywords: strawberry nectar, aroma compounds, phenolic compounds, high pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, ohmic heating
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 228, [article no.] ǂ118066
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-170505
• UDC: 634.7
• ISSN on article: 1096-1127
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2025.118066
• COBISS.SI-ID: 241664515
• Publication date in RUL: 08.07.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: LWT - Food science and technology
• Shortened title: Food sci. technol.
• Publisher: Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology by Academic Press
• ISSN: 1096-1127
• COBISS.SI-ID: 49102083

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: jagodni nektar, aromatične spojine, fenolne spojine, visokotlačna obdelava, pulzna električna polja

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: Horizon 2020
• Project number: 956257
• Name: Establishing a strong and lasting international training network for innovation in food and juice industries: a 4D-research approach for fruit juice processing
• Acronym: HiStabJuice