Effect of Pulsed Electric Fields on the Shelf Stability and Sensory Acceptability of Osmotically Dehydrated Spinach: A Mathematical Modeling Approach

• Published in: Foods Vol. 13; no. 9; p. 1410
• Main Authors: Dimopoulos, George, Katsimichas, Alexandros, Balachtsis, Konstantinos, Dermesonlouoglou, Efimia, Taoukis, Petros
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Acceptability; Backup software; Chilling storage; Chloride; Dehydration; Electric field; Electric fields; Flavonoids; Food products; Fruits; Glycerin; Glycerol; leafy vegetables; Leaves; Mathematical models; Microorganisms; nonthermal processing; osmotic dehydration; Plant tissues; Product quality; pulsed electric fields; Room temperature; Shelf life; shelf-life study; Spinach; Spinacia oleracea; Storage life; Vegetable juices; Vegetables; Vitamin C; Water activity; nonthermal processing; leafy vegetables; osmotic dehydration; pulsed electric fields; Spinacia oleracea; shelf-life study
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods13091410

This study focused on the osmotic dehydration (OD) of ready-to-eat spinach leaves combined with the pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment. Untreated and PEF-treated (0.6 kV/cm, 0-200 pulses) spinach leaves were osmotically dehydrated at room temperature for up to 120 min. The application of PEF (0.6 kV/20 pulses) prior to OD (60% glycerol, 25 °C, 60 min) lowered water activity ( = 0.891) while achieving satisfactory product acceptability (total sensory hedonic scoring of 8). During the storage of the product (at 4, 8, 12, and 20 °C for up to 30 d), a significant reduction in total microbial count evolution was observed (9.7 /g for the untreated samples vs. 5.1 /g for the PEF-OD-treated samples after 13 d of storage at 4 °C). The selection of these PEF and OD treatment conditions enabled the extension of the product shelf life by up to 33 d under chilled storage. Osmotically treated spinach could find application in ready-to-eat salad products with an extended shelf life, which is currently not possible due to the high perishability of the specific plant tissue.