A Quality Assessment of Strawberry Nectar Stabilized by Thermal and High-Pressure Processing Conditions

This study is aimed at evaluating the quality of strawberry nectar following high-pressure processing (HPP) at different pressure levels (400, 500, and 600 MPa for 3 minutes) and thermal pasteurization (TT) at 75°C for 15 s. Key parameters include total colour difference ( Δ E ∗ ), aparent viscosity, colour analysis via CIELAB coordinates, and pH. Additionally, residual enzymatic activity (RA%) of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) was measured. Strawberry nectar (12°Brix) was prepared and subjected to processing, with thermal treatment in 50 mL tubes and HPP in 40 mL polyethylene bags. Samples were stored under refrigeration during 21 days, with microbial analysis conducted to assess microbiological stability during storage. TT exhibited a more pronounced reduction in total aerobic microbial count (TAMC) compared to HPP, which showed no detectable yeast and mould. Apparent viscosity varied among samples, with HPP at 600 MPa displaying a significant increase of 52.1% compared to the control. The pseudoplastic behavior, characterized by n values lower than 1, was consistent across all treatments. TT led to a reduction in L ∗ brightness value during storage, whereas HPP-treated samples underwent colour changes over time with Δ E ∗ of 3.1 for 400 MPa, 3 minutes, at 21 days. For PPO and POD, the 600 MPa treatment exhibited the highest inhibition (44% and 4% RA, respectively). This comprehensive study provides insights into how different HPP processing conditions affect the quality attributes, enzymatic activity, and microbiological stability of strawberry nectar during production and refrigerated storage. The research’s significance lies in its holistic comparison of HPP with traditional thermal pasteurization, offering valuable information for both industry and consumers.