Contribution to the development of a method of maple sap soft drink stabilization by electro-activation technology

- Electro-activation of maple beverage.
- Non-thermal processing of maple beverage.
- Reagentless pH and Redox potential regulation.

Electro-activation (EA) of a maple sap/syrup beverage was studied. The purpose of the study was to assess the product parameters, such as pH, ORP, transmittance and degree Brix, while minimizing energy consumption. The experiments were conducted using three different configurations of the reactor that differed by the position of the anion (AEM) and cation (CEM) exchange membrane relative to the electrodes as well as the nature of the electrolyte (NaCl vs. Na2CO3) in the central cell of the reactor. The results showed that the type of configuration, the electric current and the temperature influenced the parameters of the electro-activated beverage. At 23 °C, the beverage was acidified to pH 3.89 with a Redox potential (ORP) of 417.33 mV. At 55 °C and 150 mA, the minimum pH of 3.78 and an ORP of 329.67 mV were obtained. The electric resistance of the electro-activation reactor (EAR) decreased during electro-activation, indicating a gain of energy efficiency corresponding to an electric resistance of 266.76 Ω. Moreover, the reactor configuration and electric current affected the presence or absence of a fouling of the ion exchange membrane at the anodic side. The beverages' transmittance increased slightly during EA without any effect on the degree Brix.