Apple juice clarified by the polymeric flocculants. Food science and technology

Abstract

Based on the research, a innovative method for processing apple juice has been proposed, which consists in the use of safe polymeric flocculants – polyethylene oxide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, which can increase the speed and degree of transparency and purification of apple juice from heavy metals in conditions of its turbulent flow in channel, which is the gap between the stator with inlet and outlet pipes and the rotor kinematically connected to the electric motor. The mechanism of increasing the flocculating ability of flocculants under conditions of detected turbulent transparency of apple juice makes it possible to develop ways to improve the consumer properties of both the flocculant and apple juices during transparency. A comprehensive assessment of the quality of apple juice illuminated by hydrodynamically activated polyethylene oxide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide was carried out, namely: the features of changes in mineral, vitamin, physical and chemical composition and safety, which together form the nutritional value and consumer properties of the product, were studied. The results of sensory and qualimetric analysis of apple juice clarified by activated flocculants indicate that when apple juices are illuminated with polyethylene oxide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, changes are observed primarily in transparency and color. The obtained quantitative data characterizing the physical and chemical composition of apple juice and the content of heavy metals in apple juice clarified with hydrodynamically activated polyethylene oxide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide meet the requirements for apple juice producers. The research results allow us to conclude that polymeric flocculants polyethylene oxide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide are effective reagents that can be used for deep purification of apple juices from heavy metals. Based on the obtained data characterizing the residual concentration of polyethylene oxide in apple juice treated with polyethylene oxide with hydrodynamic activation in a flocculator, it was concluded that the hydrodynamic activation of the flocculant reduces its residual concentration by more than 1.5–2 times.