Yuttana Sudjaroen 1, Montakan Aimkaew 2, Kanyapat Petcharaporn 1, Kitsanatorn Saeiam 1, Nattapol Prathengjit 1 and Kanittada Thongkao 1*
1Faculty of Science and Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, 10300, Thailand; 2Division of Food Products and Food Contact Materials, Department of Science Service, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
*Corresponding author: kanittada.th@ssru.ac.th
Pomelo (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.) is a commercially valuable citrus fruit in Thailand; however, the use of low-grade fruits for juice extraction is constrained by a strong bitterness. The present research explored the impact of the successive debittering process of Kao Yai pomelo juice on physicochemical aspects, phytochemical profiles, antioxidative property, sensory evaluation, and electronic tongue responses. Six treatments involving scalding, brining, ?-cyclodextrin addition, mild heat treatment, and their combinations were evaluated, and significant differences in quality parameters of juice were observed among treatments (P<0.05). Process no. 3 retained the highest phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity, whereas Process no. 1 exhibited the lowest values. From the sensory evaluation, process no. 5 obtained the highest scores for flavour balance and overall acceptability, with low intensities of bitterness and astringency and a low level of persistent aftertaste. Moreover, the electronic tongue assessment confirmed that bitterness and persistent aftertaste would be extracted to the lowest point in the juice of process no. 5. We concluded that process no. 5 was better for pomelo juice quality, which indicated the most proportionate balance between bitterness minimization and consumer liking. These studies implied that the application of appropriate combined debittering procedures could be used in value-added utilization of wasted low-quality pomelo fruits for juice production.