Pilot scale thermal and alternative pasteurization of tomato and watermelon juice: An energy comparison and life cycle assessment

摘要

The energy balance and life cycle assessment (LCA) of conventional (thermal) and alternative (pulsed electric fields (PEF) and high pressure processing (HPP)) technologies for preservation of tomato and watermelon juice have been evaluated. A comparison between technologies was performed at an equivalent level of microbial inactivation whilst considering the same production capacity on a pilot scale using industrial scale equipment. The data included in the study, such as selected processing conditions, energy consumption, water use, cleaning agents and maintenance, were experimentally collected. For the LCA two main systems were identified: (1) the first system reviewed only the processing stage of juice production (from "gate to gate"), and (2) the second included the expansion of the boundaries to the agricultural production stage and waste treatment during juice preparation and processing (from "farm to gate").