Effect of Pulsed Light on Quality of Shelled Walnuts
Author/s
Noguera Artiaga, Luis; Figueroa Morales, Fernando; Girón, Francisco; Gabaldón, José Antonio; Pérez López, Antonio José; [et al.]Date
2022-04-19Discipline/s
Ciencias de la AlimentaciónSubject/s
UV lightNon-thermal
Rancidity
Sensory
Food quality
Nutrition
Volatiles
Walnut
Pulsed light
Abstract
Shelled walnuts are considered a microbiologically low-risk food but have been linked to some outbreaks, and a treatment aiming to decrease this risk is desirable. Pulsed light (PL) may be an alternative, providing it does not seriously impair their quality. This work assessed the impact of PL on some quality attributes of walnuts. To do this, measurements of rancidity, volatiles, total phenols, antioxidant activity, and descriptive sensory analysis were carried out on untreated and PL (43 J/cm2)-treated kernels. PL had no statistically significant (p > 0.05) effects on TBARS, peroxide value, total phenols, and antioxidant activity but significantly increased the concentration of volatiles related to green/herbaceous odors and decreased compounds related to fruity and citrus odors. The descriptors nut overall, walnut odor and flavor, and aftertaste were given statistically significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores, while descriptors woody odor and sweet received lower scores; 16 other tra...