Microfluidization of tender coconut water and its impact on spoilage enzymes and physicochemical properties

Abstract

In this study, microfluidization was explored to inactivate autolytic spoilage enzymes (polyphenol oxidase, PPO, and peroxidase, POD) that significantly impact the nutritional and sensory qualities of tender coconut water (TCW). TCW was treated at three different pressure levels (70, 140, and 210 MPa) and five different number of passes/cycles (3, 5, 7, 9, and 11). The highest percentage reduction was obtained in the case of PPO (~61% in the 11th pass, at 210 MPa), while for POD, ~45% reduction was achieved in the 9th pass, at 70 MPa. The impact of different treatment conditions on the physicochemical properties of TCW, such as color, turbidity, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity, total phenolic content (TPC), and protein content was assessed. The pH and TSS remained unaffected; whereas, turbidity showed an increase with treatment intensity from 2.59% ± 0.14% (untreated) to 8.62% ± 0.39% (30,000 psi, 11 passes), and the highest color difference was observed for this sample (ΔE = 4.61 ± 0.018). Furthermore, TPC and antioxidant activity showed minimal changes upon treatment. Overall, the findings of this research provide new insights into the application of microfluidization for the processing of thermally sensitive products such as TCW, extending their shelf life without any additives and providing a clean label solution.

Keywords

Tender coconut water / Enzymatic spoilage / Polyphenol oxidase / Peroxidase / Enzyme activity / Enzyme inactivation

Author contributions

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: Moses JA, Sinija VR; data collection: Sruthi PS, Vanmathi Mugasundari A; analysis and interpretation of results: Sruthi PS, Vanmathi Mugasundari A, Nimbkar S; draft manuscript preparation: Sruthi PS, Vanmathi Mugasundari A, Nimbkar S; supervision: Moses JA. All authors reviewed the results and endorsed the final version of the manuscript.

Data availability

All data produced or analyzed in this study are incorporated within this manuscript.

Acknowledgments

This research did not receive funding from any specific grant provided by public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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