Application of ohmic heating on peeling of prickly pear fruit (Opuntia stricta): Effects of electric field strength and NaCl concentration on the performance of peeling

Cactus prickly pear is a plant of the cactus (Opuntia stricta), some species of this plant used in this research grow in the regions of southern Iran and the coastal seas of Mazandaran. It is very important to peel in the process of producing products from prickly pear fruit. Optimum heating and infrared irradiation can be used as a suitable and effective method in the pretreatment process with the aim of reducing the consumption of chemicals and harming the environment and increasing the quality of the product. In this study, using the precursor of ohmic compared to the control sample, the effect of field intensity (1500 to 4500 V / m) and the concentration of sodium chloride (0.01-0.03 g / 100 milliliters). The amount of ascorbic acid and colorimetric indices L *, a * and b * were studied in Barbed Pear Fruit. Color determination with IM software, ascorbic acid content was determined by iodometric method, thickness with micrometer and phenolic compounds by Folin-Sioukalto method. Hand-peeled prickly pear was considered as a control sample.With increasing field strength and increasing salt concentration of sodium chloride, more favorable results were obtained. The best ohmic treatment with a field strength of 4500 V / m and a concentration of sodium chloride 0.03 g / 100 ml, the values obtained for weight loss 8.2 ± 0.57, ascorbic acid content of 1.1 ± 0.005 Milligrams per 100 milliliters and total phenolic compounds totaling Abstract: Cactus prickly pear is a plant of the cactus (Opuntia stricta), some species of this plant used in this research grow in the regions of southern Iran and the coastal seas of Mazandaran. It is very important to peel in the process of producing products from prickly pear fruit. Optimum heating and infrared irradiation can be used as a suitable and effective method in the pretreatment process with the aim of reducing the consumption of chemicals and harming the environment and increasing the quality of the product. In this study, using the precursor of ohmic compared to the control sample, the effect of field intensity (1500 to 4500 V / m) and the concentration of sodium chloride (0.01-0.03 g / 100 milliliters). The amount of ascorbic acid and colorimetric indices L *, a * and b * were studied in Barbed Pear Fruit. Color determination with IM software, ascorbic acid content was determined by iodometric method, thickness with micrometer and phenolic compounds by Folin-Sioukalto method. Hand-peeled prickly pear was considered as a control sample.With increasing field strength and increasing salt concentration of sodium chloride, more favorable results were obtained. The best ohmic treatment with a field strength of 4500 V / m and a concentration of sodium chloride 0.03 g / 100 ml, the values obtained for weight loss 8.2 ± 0.57, ascorbic acid content of 1.1 ± 0.005 Milligrams per 100 milliliters and total phenolic compounds total