Quality attributes of fresh-cut coconut after supercritical carbon dioxide pasteurization

The impact of supercritical co2 (sc-co2) process on the quality attributes of fresh-cut coconut has been investigated to establish the acceptability of sc-co2 treated products by the consumers. two process conditions,previously identified as optimal to reduce the microbial content of the product,were studied: 12 mpa,40°c,30 min and 12 mpa,45°c,15 min. the results highlighted that both conditions induced some effects on product attributes. after 30 min of treatment at 12 mpa and 40°c a decrease of lightness (8%),ph (13%),fat content (24%),total phenol content (29%),flavonoid compounds (49%),antioxidant capacity (30%) and an increase of dry matter (11%) and titratable acidity (51.1%) were observed while polyphenol oxidase (ppo) exhibited 35% and 98.5% inactivation. peroxidase enzyme activity increased by 77.8% and 30.4% at 12 mpa,40°c,30 min and 12 mpa,45°c,15 min,respectively. sensory evaluations revealed no significant differences in appearance,texture,taste,and aroma of treated fresh-cut coconut compared to the untreated. the study confirms the feasibility of sc-co2 process for the pasteurization of fresh fruits with a firm structure and opens the door to the possibility of exploiting such a technology at industrial level. © 2013 giovanna ferrentino et al.