The investigation of heat-induced quality changes and surface fouling behaviors of plant-based beverages
Project no. 30766 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2023
Summary
<p>Recently, the production and consumption of plant-based beverages have gained great interest. Thermal processes should be applied to ensure microbiological safety in plant-based beverages such as many foods. However, thermal treatments can cause serious reactions in the components. These reactions can lead to quality changes and surface fouling, posing significant safety risks. Therefore, the project aims to monitor the changes caused by different temperatures applied in the processing of plant-based beverages. For this purpose, plant-based beverages in the nut-based class (raw almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts) were produced at three different temperatures (65, 90, 121°C), and physical and chemical quality changes were investigated. Additionally, fouling amounts were examined by preparing the laboratory-type fouling models on the stainless-steel surfaces. It was determined that the brightness of the plant-based beverages decreased with high temperature application, while yellow color, browning index, and color differences increased. The levels of HMF and lipid oxidation increased with increases in concentration and temperature. The highest lipid oxidation was found in walnut beverages while the lowest was found in almond beverages. High concentrations and temperatures promoted fouling and deposit on the surfaces. It was found that deposits on the surfaces became more brownish with high temperature, making them more difficult to clean with water. When samples with the same concentration were compared, hazelnut beverages had the lowest fouling amount, whereas walnut beverages had the highest levels in all temperature treatments. As briefly, it was determined that the physical and chemical changes and surface fouling of plant-based beverages strongly depend on the raw material type, concentration, and thermal treatment temperature. Especially, high-temperature treatment triggered browning reactions, lipid oxidation, and surface fouling and deposits that are difficult to remove easily with water from the surfaces. These findings suggest that the selection of processes and surface cleaning methods should depend on the raw material type, formulation, and thermal treatment temperatures. These factors could shed light on solving the serious biofilm formation problems.</p>