AUTHOR=Giancaterino Marianna , Jaeger Henry TITLE=Impact of pulsed electric fields (PEF) treatment on the peeling ability of tomatoes and kiwi fruits JOURNAL=Frontiers in Food Science and Technology VOLUME=3 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/food-science-and-technology/articles/10.3389/frfst.2023.1152111 DOI=10.3389/frfst.2023.1152111 ISSN=2674-1121 ABSTRACT=
Peeling is a standard food processing operation that removes the outer layer of fruits and vegetables. It can improve the appearance and texture of many fruits and vegetables and is often necessary for further food preparation. Developing new and innovative peeling methods to minimise losses and enhance product quality is an area of active research in the food industry. The objective of this study was to evaluate how PEF affects the peeling ability of tomatoes and kiwi fruits, as well as the chemical and physical characteristics of the resulting peeled products. In detail, monopolar exponential decay pulses were applied, with an electric field strength of 1.0 kV/cm and a resulting total energy input in the range of 0.6 and 5.0 kJ/kg for tomatoes and 1.2 and 12.6 kJ/kg for kiwi fruits. Two methods were used to compare the effectiveness of PEF treatments with traditional peeling methods: hot-water blanching (98°C for 60 s) and lye peeling (98°C for 45 s, in 2% NaOH solution). The peeling efficiency was evaluated through manual and mechanical methods as well as measuring weight loss. The quality of the final peeled product was assessed by mechanical properties of the pericarp, colour (L*, a*, b* scale), ascorbic acid content, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, total polyphenols content and antioxidant activity. The PEF treatment applied to whole red tomatoes (1.0 kV/cm, 5.0 kJ/kg) and whole kiwi fruits (1.0 kV/cm, 12.6 kJ/kg) resulted in a significant decrease (