Design and development of laboratory scale batch type device for debittering of bitter citrus juice

摘要

Debittering of citrus juice has long been a stumbling challenge for the juice processingindustries. The current debittering technique employs the adsorption of bittercompounds, which is reported to reduce a significant amount of vital nutrients,resulting in considerably lower antioxidant activity. Thus, in the present study, we arereporting a batch-type laboratory-scale debittering device using an interdigitatedelectrode (IDE), macroporous resin, and enzyme. Three different types of deviceswere developed. The first device was developed by adsorbing naringinase onto amacroporous resin and then being deposited on an IDE patterned printed circuitboard (PCB) substrate. The second device was fabricated by the deposition of activatedresin on IDE (an AR-based device), while the third device was developed bydepositing nonactivated resin on IDE (a NAR-based device). The performance of thedevices was evaluated by debittering the pomelo juice. It was observed that thedevice efficiently debitter 70–100 ml of juice in a batch manner. The juice was treatedfor 160 min at 60℃ to determine the optimum time for a minimum level of naringinwith the maximum retention of vital nutrients. A decreased level of naringin(53.06) and increased naringenin content (16.19 ppm) were noticed with anincreased time of exposure. Juice treated for 100 min had a significantly loweramount of naringin (39), with maximum retention of vital nutrients. Contrary to this,juice treated with AR and NAR debittering devices reduced 32 and 19.65 of thenaringin in 5 min with a maximum loss of bioactive compounds. The present studyconcludes that the fabricated debittering device reduced the bitterness up to a certainlevel with the minimum loss of other vital nutrients. Further study is needed toincrease the handling capacity of juice and to study the storage stability of treatedjuice.