As expected, substantial differences were found in the thermal load received by the
product at the two locations studied during the microwave treatments. The PU obtained at the hottest spot was considerably higher than the PU obtained at the coldest spot. On the other hand, the conventional heating mode required a significantly (p < 0.05)
higher thermal load to achieve the pre-set level of POD inactivation in the kiwifruit puree than any of the microwave treatments studied, irrespective of whether the comparison was carried out at the coldest or hottest spot of the sample.