High‐pressure processing for inactivation of enzymes, microbes, and its effect on nutritional composition of tender coconut water

Abstract

Tender coconut water (TCW) processing has been a challenge and is often accompanied by challenges such as beneficial bioactive compound deterioration and enzymatic and non‐enzymatic browning initiation. Fresh TCW was treated with a combination of pressure (350–550 MPa) and treatment time (3–7 min). This study unveiled the potency of high‐pressure processing (HPP) in reducing undesirable enzyme activity, such as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity in TCW by up to 36.472% and 30.606%, respectively. The maximum loss of vitamin C was reported to be 7.84% at 550 MPa/7 min compared to the untreated one, which is very acceptable in terms of quality retention. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activities were well retained and increased in the HPP‐treated TCW samples. Similarly, the total and reducing sugar reduction was within 20%–25%. The findings of this investigation demonstrated the effectiveness of high‐pressure processing in preserving quality and reducing the activity of enzymes that cause deterioration in TCW. Moreover, the aerobic plate count (APC) and yeast and mold count (YM) were decreased significantly (p < 0.05) after 450 MPa/5 min treatment.Practical applicationsOver the years, the food industry has been facing a consistent challenge in perishable product processing (juices, milk, meat, etc.) to extend its shelf‐life while keeping its nutritional and sensory properties intact. This study presented a significant insight into TCW processing regarding enzyme, microbial inactivation, and nutritional property preservation using HPP technology. Moreover, from a quality perspective, this work enables the HPP‐treated TCW to be as close to a fresh one without any preservative addition. HPP technique is believed to appeal to industries that seek a green alternative technique to thermal processing (which makes processed foods unacceptable among consumers) to produce minimally treated foods on a commercial scale.