Is overnight fresh juice drinkable? The shelf life prediction of non-industrial fresh watermelon juice based on the nutritional quality, microbial safety quality, and sensory quality

• Published in: Food & nutrition research Vol. 64; pp. 1 - 15
• Main Authors: Ma, Tingting, Wang, Jiaqi, Wang, Haoli, Lan, Tian, Liu, Ruihao, Gao, Tian, Yang, Wanyi, Zhou, Yuan, Ge, Qian, Fang, Yulin, Sun, Xiangyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden Open Academia 09.06.2020; Swedish Nutrition Foundation
• Subjects: microbial safety quality; non-industrial fresh watermelon juice; nutritional quality; Original; quality assurance; sensory quality; shelf life; non-industrial fresh watermelon juice; shelf life; nutritional quality; quality assurance; sensory quality; microbial safety quality
• ISSN: 1654-661X; 1654-661X
• DOI: 10.29219/fnr.v64.4327

The aim of this study was to obtain the time range of non-industrial fresh watermelon juice (FWJ), which is widely used in the catering industry under different storage conditions, with safe-drinkable quality, and the drinking time range of fresh juice with good nutritional quality and sensory quality. The quality of non-industrial FWJ was audited by assessing the shelf life of non-industrial FWJ through microbial safety, nutritional, and sensory quality investigating during 24 h of storage at 4, 25, and 37°C. According to the microbial safety quality, the safe drinking time of FWJ was within 12, 4, and 4 h when stored at 4, 25, and 37°C, respectively. Based on the nutritional and sensory quality, FWJ was drinking with good quality within 2 h, and with just acceptable quality for no more than 4 h when stored at 4 or 25°C. Electronic nose and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) could effectively distinguish and identify the changes in volatile components in FWJ under different storage conditions. It is a feasible method to predict the shelf life of non-industrial FWJ by this method, and hence to guarantee non-industrial FWJ being drinking with safety and health, and it might be used in many other fresh juice shelf life predictions.