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Evaluation of UV-C Irradiation Treatments on Microbial Safety, Ascorbic Acid, and Volatile Aromatics Content of Watermelon Beverage

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Abstract

UV-C treatment technology is proposed as a potential alternative to thermal treatments for decontamination of beverages because heat may adversely affect the nutritive value and quality. Effects of UV-C irradiation processing on microbial inactivation, ascorbic acid, and volatile aromatics of watermelon beverage were evaluated using a flow-through UV system. Selected microbial agents Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Bacillus cereus endospores were inactivated by 5.31 ± 0.01 and 6.1 ± 0.01 log CFU mL−1 at UV equivalent fluence levels of 12 and 60 mJ cm−2, respectively. At UV pasteurization equivalent exposure (40 mJ cm−2), 93% ascorbic acid was retained. No significant loss of volatile aromatic aldehydes was noticed at fluence 40 mJ cm−2. Overall, the results support the UV-C processing as an alternative to traditional thermal processing to preserve quality in conjunction with microbial safety aspects of watermelon beverage.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Trojan Technologies for providing valuable guidance in this project.

Funding

This project is funded under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (Food Safety Challenge Area), USDA, award numbers: 2015-69003-23117 and 2018-38821-27732.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Biosciences and Technology Program, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Human Nutrition and Natural Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, 37209, USA

    Brahmaiah Pendyala, Ankit Patras, Ramaswamy Ravi & Vybhav Vipul Sudhir Gopisetty

  2. Aquafine Corporation, Valencia, CA, 91355, USA

    Michael Sasges

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  1. Brahmaiah Pendyala
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  2. Ankit Patras
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  3. Ramaswamy Ravi
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  4. Vybhav Vipul Sudhir Gopisetty
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Correspondence to Ankit Patras.

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Pendyala, B., Patras, A., Ravi, R. et al. Evaluation of UV-C Irradiation Treatments on Microbial Safety, Ascorbic Acid, and Volatile Aromatics Content of Watermelon Beverage. Food Bioprocess Technol 13, 101–111 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-019-02363-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-019-02363-2

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