Evaluation of contaminant kinetics in tetra-pack conditioned juice: evolution of the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters during the storage period

Abstract

Packing is the new operations in the manufacture of food products, they will help maintain thehygiene, tactile and nutritional quality of the food and meet thelogisticalconstraints.A study was conducted to determine the effects of packaging materials, storage temperature, and time on physiochemical and bacteriological properties of conditioned juice.pH, acidity, Brix, mineral content (heavy metals before and after contact, in packaging and in juice), migration test, microbiological analysis, and antioxidant activity (FRAP) were evaluated in freshly prepared juice, and after 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days of storage at room temperature. A migration test was conducted using three percent acetic acid as a simulator followed by an Atomic Flamming Adsorption Spectroscopy analysis of the tested packaging and analysis by TF-IR of the product. Theresults showed that pH, acidity, Brix, decreased with storage times. According to the results obtained no variability was observed for the microbiological parameters during the storage period.As for the physicochemical parameters, minor variations have been observed. The loss of total phenols and vitamin C content was higher in juice stored at 90 days than 15 days. The results of mineral analyzes show a slight variation of 1 to 2 mg / l compared to the reference sample (0-day storage sample), for K +, Na+, Cl-and PO4-3, with the exception of calcium ion, for which there was a sharp increase after 45 days of storage, which then declined. The findings showed the lack of migration of the packaging to thefood, thusmaintaining the initial composition.