Analysis of apple beverages treated with high-power ultrasound: a quality function deployment approach

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The objective of this paper was to demonstrate application of quality function deployment in analysing effects of high power ultrasound on quality properties of apple juices and nectars. In order to develop a quality function deployment model, joint with instrumental analysis of treated samples, a field survey was performed to identify consumer preferences towards quality characteristics of juices/nectar. RESULTSBased on field research, the three most important characteristics were taste' and aroma' with 28.5% of relative absolute weight importance, followed by odour' (16.9%). The quality function deployment model showed that the top three quality scores' for apple juice were treatments with amplitude 90 mu m, 9 min treatment time and sample temperature 40 degrees C; 60 mu m, 9 min, 60 degrees C; and 90 mu m, 6 min, 40 degrees C. For nectars, the top three were treatments 120 mu m, 9 min, 20 degrees C; 60 mu m, 9 min, 60 degrees C; and A2.16 60 mu m, 9 min, 20 degrees C. CONCLUSIONThis type of quality model enables a more complex measure of large scale of different quality parameters. Its simplicity should be understood as its practical advantage and, as such, this tool can be a part of design quality when using novel preservation technologies.