Abstract
Freshness attributes in food products continue to be a trend of relevance to consumers. UV-C light treatment of fluid foods is a non-thermal process potentially suitable to obtain high-quality fruit nectars. This study pursued to test the effect of UV-C light treatment on indigenous microorganisms and sensory quality of two tropical fruit nectars. Guava and passion fruit nectars were treated with light at λ = 253.7 nm up to 24 and 11 J/ml, respectively, in an annular reactor. The effects of this process on microbial inactivation were assessed by aerobic mesophilic count (AMC), yeast and mould count (YMC) and by triangle tests regarding sensory quality. Microbial inactivation increased with fluence. The highest fluence decreased AMC of guava and passion fruit nectars by 0.51 and 1.36 log colony-forming units (CFU) per millilitre, respectively, and YMC of guava by 0.53 log CFU/ml. However, the sensory panel detected differences due to treatments even at the lowest fluences (15 and 6 J/ml for guava and passion fruit, respectively). This work confirms the capability of UV light to inactivate microorganisms in fluid foods, but in sensitive products such as tropical fruit nectars, sensory changes may be a drawback for practical application of the technology for producing fresh-like stable products.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported mainly by grant PI 03-00-6657-2007 from the CDCH-Universidad Central de Venezuela and also by Project FONACIT G-2000001538.
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Guevara, M., Tapia, M.S. & Gómez-López, V.M. Microbial Inactivation and Quality of Guava and Passion Fruit Nectars Treated by UV-C Light. Food Bioprocess Technol 5, 803–807 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-011-0537-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-011-0537-3