A Mathematical Model for the Combination of Power Ultrasound and High-Pressure Processing in the Inactivation of Inoculated E. coli in Orange Juice

Óscar Rodríguez, Vibeke Orlien, Ashwitha Amin, Emiliano Salucci, Francesco Giannino, Elena Torrieri*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

The mathematical modeling of a combination of non-thermal technologies for E. coli inactivation is of great interest for describing the dynamic behavior of microorganisms in food, with the goal of process control, optimization, and prediction. This research focused on the design and implementation of a mathematical model to predict the effect of power ultrasound (US), high-pressure processing (HPP), and the combination of both non-thermal technologies on the inactivation kinetics of E. coli (DSM682) inoculated in orange juice. Samples were processed by US, HPP, and a combination of both technologies at varying process parameters, and a mathematical model for microbial inactivation was developed using a System Dynamics approach. The results showed that the combination of these technologies exhibited a synergistic effect, resulting in no detectable colony-forming units per mL of juice. The developed model accurately predicted the inactivation of E. coli following the combination of these technologies (R2 = 0.82) and can be used to predict microbial load reduction or optimize it based on process parameters. Additionally, combining both techniques offers a promising approach for extending the shelf life of fresh juices using non-thermal stabilization technology.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3463
JournalFoods
Volume13
Issue number21
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • high-pressure processing
  • mathematical model
  • non-thermal technologies
  • numerical simulations
  • orange juice
  • ordinary differential equation
  • power ultrasound
  • system dynamics

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