INFLUENCE OF ELECTRIC FIELD TECHNOLOGY ON QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF JUICES. A REVIEW

Heat treatment, freezing, aseptic packaging and treatment with antimicrobial agents are the main methods of preserving food products. At the same time, the methods of preservation used can have a negative impact on the quality of plant materials and juice products. Therefore, scientists are constantly searching for and developing new technologies for processing raw materials that can ensure not only the safety of products, but also preserve their quality and nutritional value as much as possible. Juices offer a convenient means of consuming bioactive compounds and essential nutrients that are critical for human health. However, traditional thermal processing used in juice and beverage production to inactivate spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms as well as endogenous enzymes can lead to degradation of bioactive compounds and vitamins. In response, non-thermal technologies have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional thermal processing, with pulsed electric field (PEF) technology emerging as an innovative and sustainable choice. This article reviews scientific publications that have investigated the effects of PEF on the microbiological, physicochemical, functional, nutritional and sensory qualities of vegetable and fruit juices. The review found that PEF induces electroporation phenomena in cell membranes, resulting in reversible or irreversible changes. Therefore, a detailed investigation of the effects of PEF process variables on juice properties is essential. Monitoring factors such as electric field strength, frequency, pulse width, total processing time and specific energy are important to ensure the production of a safe and chemically/kinetically stable product. PEF technology has proven its effectiveness in microbiological and enzymatic inactivation in vegetable and fruit juices, mitigating factors that contribute to quality deterioration while maintaining the physicochemical characteristics of these products. In addition, PEF processing does not compromise the content of substances with functional, nutritional and sensory properties such as phenolic compounds and vitamins. Compared with alternative processing methods such as mild thermal processing and other non-thermal technologies, PEF processing consistently shows comparable results in terms of physicochemical properties, functional properties, nutritional quality and overall safety. However, future research is needed on the application of PEF technology. Issues related to microbial and enzymatic inactivation, production of intracellular compounds and other aspects need to be addressed.