Shelf-life evaluations of liquid foods treated by pilot plant pulsed electric field system

There is a pressing need to validate the shelf-life extension of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) treated foods. This study was designed to evaluate the shelf-lives of cranberry juice and chocolate milk as a function of PEF and the interaction of PEF+heat treatments. Cranberry juice was exposed to PEF and PEF+heat (60C), and chocolate milk to PEF+heat (105 and 112C). Microbial analysis and color measurement were performed on untreated and treated cranberry juice and chocolate milk aseptically packaged and stored at 4, 22, and 37C for 197 and 119 days, respectively. Microbial analysis of cranberry juices demonstrated that the shelf-life of PEF and PEF+heat treated juices stored at 22 and 37C increased significantly during 197 days (p<0.05). The shelf-life of chocolate milk treated by PEF+105C and PEF+112C increased significantly at all storage temperatures (p<0.05). The PEF nor PEF+heat treatments did not result in any significant differences in color retention of either cranberry juice or chocolate milk (p>0.05). This study presented that PEF and PEF+heat treatments were very effective to increase shelf-lives of cranberry juice and chocolate milk.