Studies on preservation of sugarcane juice using hurdle technology

Hurdle technology is an emerging concept in which a particular hurdle or an obstacle is provided to the food product in order to prevent or slow down the growth of enzymes by ensuring its quality and safety. One such hurdle used in here is pasteurization treatment at high temperature and for less holding time. Pasteurization treatment at high temperature and for less holding time was found to be an effective method to reduce the microbial load and PPO activity and hence preserve the color and flavor of sugarcane juice. A study was conducted to observe the effect of pasteurization treatment at different temperature (80, 90, 100 °C) and holding time (60, 90, 120 sec) to enhance the shelf life of juice. Among different tests, it was observed that pasteurization treatment at 90 °C for holding time 90 sec was found to produce the best quality with reference to different quality attributes. In general, the combination was selected as it showed maximum decrease in reducing sugar, PPO activity and higher sensory scores. Therefore pasteurization at 90 °C for 90sec found to be an optimum treatment for preservation of sugarcane juice.