A Less Acidic Cranberry Juice with the Same Health Effects
13 March 2016
INAF researchers develop a new technology to make consumption of the product a bit easier for some.
The benefits of polyphenol-rich cranberry juice on human health are well known. Nevertheless, many people are unwilling to drink it due to its acidic taste.
Lucky for them, FSAA researchers Élodie Serre, a doctoral student in Food Sciences and Technology, and Élodie Rozoy, a research professional in the Department of Food Sciences, as well as INAF researcher Laurent Bazinet, a professor in the Department of Food Sciences, addressed and solved the problem using an electrodialysis process.
The process consists of applying an electric charge on a compartmentalized container filled with juice that is equipped with electrodes at each extremity. Depending on their charge, the juice molecules move from one compartment to the other. The results are dramatic, with deacidification rates reaching up to 40% within three hours and 80% within six hours. The beauty of this system: all of the polyphenols are retained.