Pulsed electric field as pretreatment in the cooling/freezing of jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora)

• Grant number: 24/20935-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Eric Keven Silva
• Grantee: Adriano Rondineli Silva da Costa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/11255-3 - Pulsed electric field: design of non-thermal processes, functional foods and biomaterials, AP.JP

Abstract

The food industry has been investing in preservation processes that ensure a high standard of nutritional and sensory quality. Among the most widely used preservation methods, cooling and freezing processes contribute to the availability of nutritious, high-quality foods with extended shelf life. However, conventional technologies significantly contribute to undesirable changes in the microstructure of food, often reducing the quality of thawed products. Thus, the aim of this project is to design novel freezing processes for the production of frozen foods with superior sensory and nutritional quality, while proposing processes with lower energy consumption and greater sustainability. To reduce the environmental impacts generated by the frozen food sector, innovative technologies, such as pulsed electric field (PEF), have been used to enhance process efficiency. PEF, a non-thermal technology, shows promising applications, including as a pre-treatment for foods subjected to freezing processes, helping to maintain the quality of the final product and saving energy by reducing freezing times. Considering Brazil's biodiversity, jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora) stands out for its health-promoting properties and potential for developing innovative products that foster health and well-being. Given the sensitivity of the fruit and its benefits, refrigeration and freezing processes using PEF can help preserve its biological activity during storage and after thawing, resulting in a safe food product rich in bioactive compounds. Therefore, this project aligns with the need to make Brazilian industry products more competitive on the global stage by offering safe frozen foods with high added value and exceptional sensory and nutritional quality.