Different types of mechanical, physical and physicochemical unit operations, i.e. ultrasound (US), high pressure (HP), and flash release(FR) treatments for cell wall modification were investigated. The objectives are
- to elucidate the suitability of selected unit operations for grape and berry processing with the aim of enhancing the conventional pressing process efficiency
- to elucidate the effect of these unit operations on cell wall degradation and bioactive components.
The methods are expected to facilitate the cell wall disruption and their effect can be further enhanced by combining them to enzymatic pre- or post-treatments. These methods can also be regarded as minimal processing methods with little or no negative impact expected on the sensory quality of the berry and grape products.
The aim of the high-pressure treatment was to induce mechanical disruption of the berry tissue and possible activation of both endogenous and exogenous cell wall degrading enzymes. Mashed bilberries or black currants were prior to juice pressing treated with both enzymes and HP to increase juice yield and the anthocyanin content of the juice. Two types of processes were investigated. In the first process, the enzyme treatment was carried out at elevated pressure (50 or 400 MPa, 35°C, 15 min). In the second process, the mash was HP treated (50 or 400 MPa,35°C,15 min) before enzyme addition and incubation at 45°C for 2 h. The juice yield or anthocyanin content of the juice were significantly improved by none of the HP treatments compared with similar treatments carried out at atmospheric pressure.
High power ultrasound is known to induce mechanical disruption of cell walls. However, in the studied berry juice experiments it caused pectin gelatinization and decreased juice yield when enzyme incubation was not performed. On the contrary, when the high power US treatment was performed after enzyme treatment, juice yields were slightly increased both with bilberries and black currants and the amount of phenolic compounds in juices was increased. The amount of anthocyanin glycosides was increased by more than 30% with bilberries and more than 10% with black currants. When the used enzyme had undesirable side effects which degraded bilberry anthocyanin glycosides into aglycons, the US treatment intensified the effect. It also intensified the effect of enzymes in increasing the antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and DPPH radical scavenging activity of bilberry mash and juice.In conclusion, the results indicate the potential of power ultrasound in juice processing when combined to enzyme incubation. The amount of enzyme needed can be reduced and the yield of extractable health-relevant compounds increased.
Flash release treatment is known to increase phenolic extraction into the wine during subsequent fermentation, presumably as a result of mechanical disruption of the berry tissue. It accelerated extraction of phenolic compounds and significantly increased pigment level in juice. Wines obtained after FR treatment contained higher levels of phenolics (especially flavonols (+50-100%), catechins (+25-100%) and tannins(+30-55%))than the control wines but were less enriched in anthocyanins (+4-30%). They were also enriched in polysaccharides extracted from grape cell walls. Increasing the duration of high temperature exposure before pressure release further increased phenolic extraction and accelerated conversion of grape anthocyanins to other molecular species. Combining FR with enzyme treatment induced no further effect on phenolic extraction but modified polysaccharide composition. None of the treatments modified the juice or wine yield. FR wines were perceived more fruity (strawberry, banana, fruit drop) and more astringent than the control wines which showed more gamy and empyreumatic flavours.
Cell wall polysaccharides were isolated and characterised in press cake of bilberries, black currants, white and red grapes. Differences of white and red wine manufacture could be seen back in the press cake. In red wine press cake pectin was degraded to a further extent. The cell wall polysaccharide composition of conventional and flash release treated press cake did not differ.
HPP processing decreased the degree of methyl esterification (DM), probably due to enhanced activity of endogenous pectin methyl esterase (PME). The decrease in DM led to easier extractable pectin, while the sugar composition of the cell wall polysaccharides did not change. To investigate the effect of enzyme treatment in combination with HPP, three different commercial enzyme mixtures were added to bilberry and black currant mash immediately before HPP. Pectic polysaccharides were further degraded when high pressure was used. Hemicelluloses, however, were only degraded at atmospheric pressure. Pectinolytic enzymes show an improved activity, but hemicellulases are inactivated after HPP.