Effect of high-voltage electrostatic field on quality of carrot juice during refrigeration

In the present study, carrot juice was used as the experimental material and stored in a 100 kV/m high-voltage electrostatic field (HVEF; E-group) which was used as a freshness-retention system. The changes in the biological properties were investigated relative to those juices which were stored in a common refrigerator (R-group) and controlled at the same temperature (4 degrees C). The results showed that the extent of color difference (Delta E), amount of total phenolics, tannins, and total plate counts of carrot juice were increased during the storage period, whereas the turbidity and amount of total carotenoids decreased under all treatment conditions. These factors remained relatively constant during storage in the E-group, whereas a significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in the R-group. The HVEF treatment yielded better physicochemical properties and prolonged the shelf-life of the carrot juice. The application of HVEF at low temperature has the potential of imparting freshness and a high nutritional value to the products. (C) 2008 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.