This study investigated the non-thermal effects of electricity on anthocyanin degradation during ohmic
heating of jaboticaba juice. For this, temperature profiles during conventional and ohmic heating
processes were matched, and the degradation kinetics of anthocyanins were compared at temperatures
ranging from 70 to 90 C. The monomeric anthocyanin content was quantified by UV–Visible spectroscopy
using the pH-differential method. Anthocyanin degradation was fitted to a first-order model. The
rate constants ranged from 1.7 to 7.5 103 min1 and from 1.8 to 7.6 103 min1 for ohmic and conventional
heating, respectively. The analysis of variance (a = 0.05) showed no significant differences
between rate constants of the ohmic and conventional heating at the same temperatures. All kinetic
and thermodynamic parameters evaluated showed similar values for both technologies. These results
indicate that the presence of the oscillating electric field did not affect the degradation rates of anthocyanins
during ohmic heating.