Industrial scale-up of Pulsed Electric Fields technology for natural fruit juice processing

The increasing consumers’ interest in minimally processed foods, with high nutritional values and more “fresh-like” characteristics is pushing food processors towards the search for viable alternatives with respect to already settled procedures used for Mass Transfer processes. Through the PUREJUICE project, Energy Pulse Systems (EPS) will validate the implementation of a novel Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) system within the juice production lines of different fruit matrices: pear, red fruits/berries, tropical fruit, stone fruit and grapes. PUREJUICE constitutes a promising alternative or complement to the standard enzymatic maceration stage for the pre-treatment of raw materials in fruit juice processing. Starting from remarkable results obtained with the EPULSUS technology applied to “natural” apple juice production within the industrial facility of a global producer, PUREJUICE aims to prove the technological and economic feasibility of the application of the Apple solution to the processing of other fruits.