High pressure processing of ‘Phulae’ pineapple puree: Quality improvement and glycemic index in comparison with thermal pasteurization

• HPP enhances physicochemical stability of ‘Phulae’ pineapple puree. • Total phenolic content significantly increases with HPP compared to heat treatment. • HPP promotes superior vitamin C retention in ‘Phulae’ pineapple puree. • HPP enhances antioxidant capacity and ensures microbial safety in pineapple puree. ‘Phulae’ pineapple ( Ananas comosus L. Merr), a Geographical Indication (GI) of Chiang Rai, Thailand, is cultivated year-round but faces value loss due to postharvest mismanagement. This study aimed to clarify the suitable high pressure processing (HPP) conditions to retain bioactive compounds (total phenolic content and vitamin C), antioxidant capacity, and quality attributes of ‘Phulae’ pineapple puree. Fresh puree was subjected to HPP at 400 and 600 MPa for 5, 10, and 15 min, and compared with thermal treatment at 80°C for 10 min. Physicochemical properties including color (CIELab), total soluble solids (°Brix), pH, and titratable acidity were evaluated. Antioxidant activities were determined using DPPH and FRAP assays. Results showed HPP-treated samples retained vitamin C and phenolic content similar to fresh puree and had higher antioxidant capacities than HT samples, with better lightness preservation in HPP than HT samples. Both HPP and HT reduced microbial counts to <2.48 log CFU/mL. HPP may serve as an alternative method to maintain physicochemical quality attributes and slightly increase the glycemic index while preserving bioactivity, and nutritional quality of ‘Phulae’ pineapple puree to reduce postharvest losses.