High pressure carbon dioxide (HPCD) treatment has been applied to orange juice as
alternative non-thermal treatment. Kinetics inactivation for pectin methyl esterase has been
determined at different operating conditions. PME residual activity was correlated succesfully
to the two-fraction model.
Some quality parameters such as colour, pH, calcium content, turbidity and particle size
distribution (PSD) were also determined right after HPCD treatment. PSD shows that HPCD
treatment results in a homogenization effect with a volume increase of small particles and a
volume decrease of large particles regarding the non-treated orange juice.
