Effects of Pulsed Electric Field Treatment on Compression Properties and Solutes Diffusion Behaviors of <i>Jerusalem artichoke</i>

• Main Authors: Zhenzhou Zhu, Rui Zhang, Nabil Grimi, Eugene Vorobiev
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: pulsed electric field; compression kinetic; diffusion; <i>Jerusalem artichoke</i>; inulin
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/3/559

<i>Jerusalem artichoke</i> is widely used as raw material for industrial production of inulin. Pressing (compression) and diffusion are two effective technologies for bio-compounds&#8217; recovery from plants. In this work, pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment at 400, 600, and 800 V/cm during 100 ms was applied to facilitate juice and solutes recovery from <i>Jerusalem artichoke</i>. The application of PEF led to electroporation of cell membranes and enhanced the tissue compression/juice expression and solutes diffusion. The consolidation coefficient (calculated by application of semi-empirical model) of PEF treated sample at 800 V/cm was 6.50 &#215; 10^&#8722;7 m²/s, which is significantly higher than that of untreated sample (5.02 &#215; 10^&#8722;9 m²/s) and close to that of freeze-thawed sample. Diffusion experiments with PEF treated samples were carried out at 25, 50, and 75 &#176;C. A PEF treatment of <i>Jerusalem artichoke</i> at 800 V/cm led to a similar diffusion behavior at 25 &#176;C, compared to diffusion behavior obtained from untreated sample at 75 &#176;C.