Optimizing UV-C for Microbial Safety and Quality of Kinnow Fruit Juice

Abstract

The study analyzed UV-C irradiation as a non-thermal preservation method for Kinnow fruit juice (KFJ), aiming to reduce microbial contamination while preserving vitamin C content. By eliminating the need for thermal processing and chemical preservatives, the approach promotes energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable juice preservation. Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), optimal UV exposure (25 minutes at 5 cm) predicted 34.056% vitamin C loss and 3.539 and 3.485 log reductions of AM and YM, respectively. The ANN model demonstrated superior performance over RSM, indicating that ANN gives more accurate and reliable predictions. First-order kinetic modeling (R2 = 0.983) shows better fittings than the Weibull model. Shelf-life studies revealed that KFJ stored at 4 °C in glass containers retained higher vitamin C and microbial stability, extending product shelf-life by nearly 6 days. These findings suggest that UV-C processing, in combination with proper packaging and storage conditions, holds the potential for juice preservation at the commercial level.