Application of smart hurdle technology for sustainable processing and preservation of sugarcane juice

The current study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced thermal, including microwave (MW) and ohmic heating (OH), and non-thermal, ultrasonication (US) and hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) processing techniques on the preservation and shelf-life extension of sugarcane juice (SCJ). HHP immediately increased viscosity from 4.14 ± 0.02 to 5.04 ± 0.05 mPa.s, suggesting microstructural stabilization. Heat-sensitive ascorbic acid was best protected by non-thermal methods: HHP and US showed no significant losses versus fresh SCJ, whereas OH and MW reduced vitamin C by approximately 7.3% and 18.3%, respectively. However, ohmic heat treatment resulted in a substantial decline in residual enzymatic activity among all treatments, with polyphenol oxidase (PPO) at 0.77 ± 0.03 U/mL and peroxidase (POD) at 1.35 ± 0.03 U/mL, respectively. Analysis of various phenolics like caffeic, gallic acid, vanillic acid, benzoic acid, and others using HPLC revealed that HHP was the most effective technique in retaining phenolics as compared to others. Non-thermal techniques were found to be more efficient in preserving color, rheological properties, and phenolic contents in SCJ than the advanced thermal treatment. Conclusively, the results depicted that HHP is an effective method for preserving the nutritional and functional qualities of SCJ, while OH is superior to MW treatment among thermal tools. Future research should focus on enhancing HHP parameters, combining non-thermal techniques, and evaluating technological and economic feasibility for industrial adoptions.