Enhancing Nutritional Quality and Color Stability of Tomato Juice through Low-Intensity Pulsed Electric Field Treatment

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of low-intensity pulsed electric field (LIPEF) treatment on the lycopene content, ascorbic acid retention, and color enhancement of juice prepared by using Roma variety tomatoes. Methodology: The tomato slices were kept in the PEF treatment chamber with varying electric field strength ranging from 2-8 kV/cm and pulse numbers between 10-70 with a monopolar pulse of 1 Hz frequency having a pulse on/off time respectively of 10 µs. After the PEF treatment, the slices were processed to extract the juice for further analysis. Results: The study revealed significant findings regarding the effect of LIPEF treatment on Roma variety tomatoes. Treatment with 4 kV/cm and 50 pulses resulted in a remarkable 69.11% increase in lycopene content compared to untreated tomato juice. Additionally, there was a remarkable retention rate of 99.84% for ascorbic acid in the treated samples compared to the control. Furthermore, LIPEF treatment led to a substantial increase of 40.78% in the a* value, indicating enhanced red coloration of the extracted juice compared to the control. However, higher electric field strength affects the retention of ascorbic acid content.   Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of low-intensity pulsed electric field (LIPEF) treatment in enhancing the lycopene content, retaining ascorbic acid, and improving the red coloration of Roma variety tomatoes. LIPEF treatment has the potential to be utilized in food processing industries to improve the quality and nutritional value of tomato-based products.