Pulsed electric fields (PEF) processing of sour cherry juice with the measurement of pH, ºBrix, titratable acidity, conductivity, colour (L*, a* and b*), nonenzymatic browning index, metal ion concentration, total ascorbic acid and total antocyanin content as well as microbial inactivation were searched in the study. Applied PEF treatment parameters did not cause any significant difference on measured properties of sour cherry juice (P > 0.05). On the other hand, inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Erwinia carotowora, Pseudomonas syringae subs. syringae, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillum expansum significantly increased with increased electric field strength and treatment time (P £ 0.05). It was revealed that PEF is a viable option to process sour cherry juice with significant amount of microbial inactivation and without adversely affecting important physical and quality parameters.

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Applicability of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to process peach nectar as a function of electric field strength and treatment time with respect to microbial inactivation and measurement of physical and chemical properties of peach nectar was evaluated. No significant difference was detected in terms of pH, °Brix, titration acidity (TA), conductivity, color (L*, a* and b*), nonenzymatic browning index (NBI), metal ion concentration, ascorbic acid content and beta carotene concentration between control and PEF‐treated peach nectar samples (P > 0.05). On the other hand, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Erwinia carotowora, Pseudomonas syringae, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillum expansum were significantly inactivated (P ≤ 0.05). PEF can successfully be applied to peach nectar with significant amount of microbial inactivation without a significant adverse effect on physical and chemical properties. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing, considered a novel technology, posses a significant potential to achieve nonthermal (cold) pasteurization and/or sterilization of liquid materials, especially fruit juices. This study was performed to determine potential use of PEF to process peach nectar based on the measurement of changes in physical and chemical properties as well as in microbial inactivation. PEF processing significantly inactivated inoculated microorganisms without adverse effects on both physical and chemical properties. Based on the results, it can be concluded that PEF technology can successfully be applied pasteurization of peach nectar.