Effect of cold plasma on blueberry juice quality

Food Chem. 2019 Aug 30:290:79-86. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.03.123. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Abstract

This work focusses on the effects of cold plasma, a novel, non-thermal technology, on the quality of blueberry juice, such as inactivation of Bacillus, anthocyanins, phenolics, vitamin C, antioxidant activity and color change. Oxygen concentration (0, 0.5% and 1%) of ionized gas was firstly confirmed to be the main factors for CP treatment, besides treatment time (2, 4 and 6 min). The increment of treatment time and oxygen concentration significantly promoted an increasing trend of death for Bacillus. Compared with thermal treatment, the content of phenolics was significantly increased by CP treatment, and also CP treatment could better keep the original color of blueberry juice. In terms of anthocyanin and vitamin C, relatively shorter exposure time to CP was more suggested. In antioxidant tests, increment of oxygen concentration resulted in the increasing trends of antioxidant activity in DPPH and ABTS assays.

Keywords: Anthocyanin; Antioxidant activity; Bacillus; Blueberry juice; Cold plasma; Color change; Phenolics; Vitamin C.

MeSH terms

  • Anthocyanins / analysis
  • Antioxidants / chemistry
  • Ascorbic Acid / analysis
  • Blueberry Plants / chemistry*
  • Cold Temperature*
  • Color
  • Food Quality*
  • Fruit / chemistry
  • Fruit and Vegetable Juices / analysis*
  • Oxygen / chemistry
  • Phenols / analysis
  • Plasma Gases / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anthocyanins
  • Antioxidants
  • Phenols
  • Plasma Gases
  • Ascorbic Acid
  • Oxygen