High hydrostatic pressure assisted degradation of patulin in fruit and vegetable juice blends

The degradation of patulin introduced into different juices then treated with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was evaluated. A model juice prepared from apple and spinach (AS) was studied along with commercially available apple-based beverages; Pineapple:Apple:Mint (PAM), Apple:Carrot:Beet:Lemon:Ginger (CAB) and Romaine:Celery:Cucumber:Apple:Spinach:Kale, Parsley:lemon (GJ). The extent of patulin degradation was found to be dependent on applied pressure and processing time (degradation rates ranged from 0.04 to 0.19 ppb/s). The extent of patulin degradation could also be significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with the sulfhydryl group concentration of the juice with ascorbic acid and nitrite being less significant. HHP treatment of 600 MPa for 300 s at 11 °C resulted in a 62 ppb decrease in patulin introduced into GJ juice which also contained the highest level of thiols (97 μM). The thiol concentration of the other juices ranged between 39 and 69 μM with a corresponding decrease in patulin of 43-49 ppb following the same HHP treatment. The study has illustrated that HHP can be applied as a risk management tool to control patulin in apple based beverages although the extent of mycotoxin degradation is dependent on processing conditions and composition of the juice.