Underwater shockwave pretreatment process for improving carotenoid content and yield of extracted carrot (Daucus carota L.) juice

Abstract Carrots ( Daucus carota L.) are an important source of antioxidants with both lipophilic (carotenoids, xanthophylls) and hydrophilic (polyphenols) properties. In this study, we evaluate the yield and carotenoid content of the juice obtained upon subjecting carrots to an underwater shockwave pretreatment. There is a significant increase in the juice yield and a two-fold increase in the α- and β-carotene contents compared to that of raw carrot juice when a shockwave pretreatment of 5 cycles at 3.5 kV and 4.9 kJ is employed. The sugar concentration (°Bx) of the shockwave-treated carrot juice increases by 15.5% without a blanching process. The treatment method proposed here is a reliable and efficient technique for the extraction of functional antioxidant chemicals from carrots. This study demonstrates the broad applicability of the underwater shockwave technique for improving the carotenoid content in carrot juice, confirming its potential for application in a wide range of food extraction processes.