Impact of conventional and non-conventional processing technologies on phenolic compounds and polysaccharides in strawberry nectar : a comparative study of stability

Rincon, Sebastian (author), Murray, Helen (author), Zia, Hassan (author), Mikulič Petkovšek, Maja (author), Slatnar, Ana (author), Halbwirth, Heidi (author), Dangles, Oliver (author)

Thermal treatments extend the shelf life of processed products however, they may modify their qualities. This study examines the effects of processing and storage (4 ◦C during 60 days) on phenolic compounds and cell walls in strawberry nectar. Under microbial inactivation standardization, conventional thermal treatment (TT) was compared to Ohmic Heating (OH), High Pressure Processing (HPP), and Pulsed Electric Field (PEF). HPP resulted in the least colour variation after processing. After storage, colour decreased significantly after PEF, while TT preserved colour most effectively. Immediately after processing HPP-and OH- samples exhibited the highest total phenolic compounds (no reduction and a 4% reduction). However, after 60 days of storage TT better preserved phenolic compounds (a 7% reduction). Proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins degraded over time (a 14% (HPPsamples) and 42% (PEF-samples) reduction respectively). Cell wall components such as neutral sugars and galacturonic acid uniformly degraded after storage. Pectin degree of methylation significantly decreased after storage especially after PEF and HPP treatments which probably failed to achieve complete enzyme inactivation. Storage had a more significant impact on nectar quality attributes than processing.

• Language: English
• Keywords: redberry, juice processings, pasteurisation, ohmic heating, high pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, polyphenol, cell wall
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 505, art. 148127
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178470
• UDC: 664.34
• ISSN on article: 0308-8146
• COBISS.SI-ID: 266444291
• Publication date in RUL: 28.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Food chemistry
• Shortened title: Food chem.
• Publisher: Applied Science Publishers
• ISSN: 0308-8146
• COBISS.SI-ID: 6385415

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, sok, obdelava, skladiščenje, kemična sestava, fenolne spojine

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: European Union’s 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