Effect of High Voltage Electric Field on Pineapple

The high voltage electric field processing (EFP) is an innovative non-thermal technique that is used in the preservation process of fruit. The primary purpose of high voltage electric field application in the food industry is to prolong the time to preserve and to maintain the high quality and natural properties of that food. In this study the high voltage electric field is applied in the preservation purpose for pineapple. We have treated the pineapple samples by different strengths of electric field of 0.67 kV/cm, 1.33 kV/cm and 2.0 kV/cm for 3 hours in each test. During the test, all samples were kept in normal conditions for the period of seven days. Test observations were recorded for all samples before and after by visual inspection of color, odors, surface texture and taste. The pH value, conductivity and salinity of all samples were also recorded before and after the test. Based on the visual inspection results, it was observed that the injection of AC electric field of 2.0 kV/cm produced the best effect on the pineapple characteristics as compared to other applied electric field of 0.67 kV/cm and 1.33 kV/cm. The experimental results are encouraging and supportive for the application of the technique in fruit preservation.