Development of a process for the production of a betalain-based colouring foodstuff from cactus pear
Abstract
Since no process has yet been established for the production of cactus pear juice, the present work aimed at the development of a betalain-based colouring foodstuff from Opuntia ficus-indica cv. ‘Gialla’ and cv. ‘Rossa’ of two seasons applying unit operations typical for fruit juice production. Complete separation of the peels from the pulp and removal of seeds were achieved by carborundum peeling of the frozen fruits and subsequent passing through a finisher. Furthermore, for improved filtration of cactus pear juice different enzyme preparations were tested to degrade pectic-like substances. To monitor quality changes in the course of processing, juice samples were analysed after each processing step in terms of colour and selected chemical parameters. While lightness (L*) and chroma (C*) increased during processing for both cultivars, hue angle (h°) remained unchanged for the yellow cultivar ‘Gialla’, but a slight shift towards red was observed for the red cultivar ‘Rossa’ after pasteurisation. Unexpectedly, even after repeated thermal treatment neither non-enzymatic browning nor HMF formation was observed in juices from both cultivars.
Industrial relevance
Cactus pear represents a viable alternative to red beet for food colouring purposes: it neither exhibits negative sensorial impact nor high nitrate levels, but offers a broad colour range. However, no attempt has yet been made to benefit from this potential. The process developed is considered suitable for being scaled up to industrial-scale production thus opening an avenue for large-scale cactus pear fruit processing.
Keywords
Cactus pear juice; Opuntia ficus-indica; Betalains; Colouring foodstuff; Natural colourants
Development of a process for the production of a betalain-based colouring foodstuff from cactus pearAbstractSince no process has yet been established for the production of cactus pear juice, the present work aimed at the development of a betalain-based colouring foodstuff from Opuntia ficus-indica cv. ‘Gialla’ and cv. ‘Rossa’ of two seasons applying unit operations typical for fruit juice production. Complete separation of the peels from the pulp and removal of seeds were achieved by carborundum peeling of the frozen fruits and subsequent passing through a finisher. Furthermore, for improved filtration of cactus pear juice different enzyme preparations were tested to degrade pectic-like substances. To monitor quality changes in the course of processing, juice samples were analysed after each processing step in terms of colour and selected chemical parameters. While lightness (L*) and chroma (C*) increased during processing for both cultivars, hue angle (h°) remained unchanged for the yellow cultivar ‘Gialla’, but a slight shift towards red was observed for the red cultivar ‘Rossa’ after pasteurisation. Unexpectedly, even after repeated thermal treatment neither non-enzymatic browning nor HMF formation was observed in juices from both cultivars.Industrial relevanceCactus pear represents a viable alternative to red beet for food colouring purposes: it neither exhibits negative sensorial impact nor high nitrate levels, but offers a broad colour range. However, no attempt has yet been made to benefit from this potential. The process developed is considered suitable for being scaled up to industrial-scale production thus opening an avenue for large-scale cactus pear fruit processing.KeywordsCactus pear juice; Opuntia ficus-indica; Betalains; Colouring foodstuff; Natural colourants
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