client
Functional Fruit Juice
Our Role
We redefined fast-casual loyalty
Today’s Task
What We did Today?
Event: Process Optimization & Quality Control Study
Today, we conducted a systematic assessment to determine how varying thermal processing conditions (temperature–time combinations associated with pasteurization kinetics) and natural preservation methods (such as pH modulation, antioxidant fortification, and mild dehydration techniques) affect the quality retention of a novel functional fruit juice formulation. We aimed to conduct controlled trials to evaluate changes in physicochemical parameters, including pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids (TSS), color intensity, and turbidity, as well as sensory acceptance metrics such as flavor balance, aroma integrity, and mouthfeel consistency. This helped us to establish optimal processing conditions that maintain maximum nutrient stability, freshness perception, and consumer-preferred sensory attributes without compromising microbial safety.
How I Felt Before Starting
I felt anticipatory and focused, fully aware of the precision required in process control for thermal and preservation studies. I was particularly concerned about the susceptibility of thermosensitive bioactive compounds, such as vitamin C, phenolics, and natural pigments, to thermal degradation, and how this could negatively influence the sensory attributes, especially flavor integrity, color stability, and overall freshness perception, under higher heat load conditions.
🧪 What We Did Today
Product Development Plan
We approached the formulation & optimization in three major phases:
- Phase I: Formulation and Baseline Characterization
- Phase II: Controlled Processing Application
- Phase III: Post-Processing Analysis and Evaluation
Key Steps Followed Today:
- Matrix Development
- Established the finalized functional fruit juice base incorporating selected fruit concentrates, functional additives, and stabilizers.
- Care was taken to achieve a uniform matrix ensuring solubility, clarity, and balanced functional properties.
- Baseline Physicochemical Measurements
- pH: Measured using a calibrated digital pH meter (±0.01 accuracy).
- Titratable Acidity (TA): Determined by standard titration, expressed as % citric acid equivalent.
- Total Soluble Solids (TSS): Evaluated with a digital refractometer (°Brix).
- Color & Turbidity: Assessed visually and recorded as baseline reference.
These values established the control dataset before subjecting the sample to any processing intervention.
- Thermal Processing
- Processing conditions were standardized across three pasteurization regimes:
- LTLT (Low Temperature–Long Time): 63 °C for 30 min
- HTST (High Temperature–Short Time): 72 °C for 15 sec
- UHT (Ultra-High Temperature): 135–140 °C for 2–5 sec
Each batch was immediately cooled to 25 °C post-treatment to prevent overprocessing.
- Process parameters (temperature, exposure time) were precisely controlled to study their impact on thermosensitive bioactive compounds.
- Natural Preservation Treatments:
Parallel batches were treated using non-thermal preservation methods, including:
- Natural acidulants (citric and phosphoric acid) for pH adjustment.
- Antioxidants (ascorbic acid) to reduce oxidative degradation.
- Natural antimicrobials (plant-based or phenolic extracts) for microbial control.
- Batch Coding and Logging:
Each processed and control sample was assigned a unique code and recorded in the batch logbook for traceability. Processing parameters were digitally documented to correlate with post-analysis data.
- Physicochemical Evaluation:
Each processed sample was analyzed for:
- pH Drift: Using a digital pH meter.
- Titratable Acidity: Titrimetric analysis (standardized NaOH).
- TSS (°Brix): Using a digital refractometer.
- Color Stability: ΔE color difference analysis and clarity observation.
Data were compared against baseline readings to determine processing impact.
- Sensory Assessment:
A trained sensory panel (n=6) performed an initial comparative evaluation of all variants (thermal vs. natural).
- Attributes assessed: Flavor, Aroma, Color, Mouthfeel, and Off-notes.
- Results recorded using hedonic and intensity scales for later statistical analysis.
- Preliminary Observation Summary:
Early findings showed noticeable differences in color and flavor retention, with HTST-treated samples demonstrating optimal balance between microbial safety and sensory quality.
Non-thermal treatments showed better nutrient retention, though with slightly higher variability in color stability.
📚 What I Learned?
- Impact of Thermal Processing: Changes in pH, TA, and TSS increased with the severity of heat treatment.
- Flavor and Sensory Retention: Mild heat preserved volatile flavor compounds and sensory freshness better than intense processing.
- Microbial Stability Considerations: Low-heat treatments need complementary hurdle technologies for extended storage safety.
- Nutritional and Functional Preservation: HTST offered an optimal balance of microbial safety, sensory quality, and nutrient retention.
Outcome:
- Matrix Stability: The finalized functional juice base remained uniform and clear, with no phase separation or sedimentation observed prior to processing.
- Physicochemical Retention:
- Baseline pH: 3.50 ± 0.01; Post-HTST: 3.48 ± 0.02
- Titratable Acidity (TA): Baseline 0.65% citric acid; Post-HTST: 0.66%
- Total Soluble Solids (TSS): Baseline 11.0 °Brix; Post-HTST: 11.1 °Brix
- Color ΔE: 1.2–1.5 (minimal visual change)
- Sensory Quality (9-point hedonic scale, n=6):
- Flavor: 8.0
- Aroma: 7.8
- Color: 8.2
- Mouthfeel: 7.9
- Overall Acceptability: 8.0
- Processing Insights:
- HTST preserved flavor, aroma, and nutrients better than LTLT or UHT, while achieving adequate microbial reduction.
- LTLT retained maximum sensory freshness but may require complementary hurdle technologies for extended storage.
- UHT ensured maximal microbial safety but caused slight loss in volatile compounds and color shift.
- Natural Preservation Treatments: Showed superior nutrient retention and minimal impact on sensory attributes but exhibited slightly higher variability in color stability.
- Shelf-Life Potential: HTST-treated samples are estimated to remain microbiologically safe and sensorially acceptable for 21–28 days under refrigerated storage; ambient storage is limited to 3–5 days.
What Went Well?
- The accurate and immediate measurement of physicochemical parameters provided clear, quantifiable data linking processing variables (heat/time) to product quality changes.
- The process successfully minimized thermal degradation, resulting in the highest sensory acceptance score among the heated samples for “freshness” and “vibrancy of color.”
- The calibration and control of the processing equipment were maintained throughout the experiment, ensuring high experimental reproducibility.
What Could I Have Done Better
- Need to conduct immediate microbial load testing across all samples to fully correlate processing method with achieved commercial sterility/preservation efficacy.
- The study could benefit from a deeper analysis or quantifying the specific impact of treatments on key functional components (e.g., vitamins or polyphenols) to provide a complete picture of nutritional retention.
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FRL
Project Code:24FRL-BEV-NPD 4577-01
Name:Mohammad Hassan
Project Code:24-FRL-FOD-NPD-2462-02
Name:Miral
Project Code: 24-FRL-FOD-NPD-3449-01
Name: Mehul Molir
Project Code: 24-FRL-BEV-REV-2878-01
Name: Esther
Project Code: 24-FRL-NPD-FTP-PMR-2660-02
Name: Harshad
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