The effects of field strength and multiple thermal treatments on electrical conductivity of strawberry products were investigated.
Electrical conductivity increased with temperature for all the products and conditions tested following linear relations. Electrical
conductivity was found to depend on the strawberry-based product. An increase of electrical conductivity with field strength was
obvious for two strawberry pulps and strawberry filling but not for strawberry topping or strawberry-apple sauce. Thermal
treatments caused visible changes (a decrease) in electrical conductivity values of both strawberry pulps tested, but the use of a
conventional or ohmic pre-treatment induces a different behavior of the pulps’ conductivity values. Ascorbic acid degradation
followed first order kinetics for both conventional and ohmic heating treatments and the kinetic constants obtained were in the
range of the values reported in the literature for other food systems. The presence of an electric field does not affect ascorbic
acid degradation.