Abstract
Enzymatic browning in fruits and vegetables, driven by polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, results in color changes and loss of bioactive compounds. Emerging technologies are being explored to prevent this browning and ensure microbial safety in foods. This study assessed the effectiveness of pulsed light (PL) and ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LED) in inhibiting PPO and inactivating Escherichia coli ATTC 25922 in fresh apple juice (Malus domestica var. Red Delicious). Both treatments' effects on juice quality, including bioactive compounds, color changes, and microbial inactivation, were examined. At similar doses, PL-treated samples (126 J/cm(2)) showed higher 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl inhibition (9.5%) compared to UV-LED-treated samples (132 J/cm(2)), which showed 1.06%. For microbial inactivation, UV-LED achieved greater E. coli reduction (>3 log cycles) and less ascorbic acid degradation (9.4% ± 0.05) than PL. However, increasing PL doses to 176 J/cm(2) resulted in more than 5 log cycles reduction of E. coli, showing a synergistic effect with the final temperature reached (55 °C). The Weibull model analyzed survival curves to evaluate inactivation kinetics. UV-LED was superior in preserving thermosensitive compounds, while PL excelled in deactivating more PPO and achieving maximal microbial inactivation more quickly.