Modeling changes in health-related compounds of tomato juice treated by high-intensity pulsed electric fields

Changes in some health-related compounds (lycopene and vitamin C) and antioxidant capacity of tomato juice treated by high-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) were modeled as a function of the electric field strength and treatment time. Samples were subjected to electric field strengths from 20 to 35 kV/cm for up to 2000 μs using bipolar 1-μs pulses at 250 Hz. Weibull kinetic models predicted vitamin C and antioxidant capacity retention of HIPEF-treated tomato juice with good accuracy (Radj2⩾ 0.836; Af = 1.001–1.010). A model used to describe moisture sorption processes was the most accurate for describing lycopene changes through the HIPEF treatment time. The combined effect of treatment time and electric field strength on health-related compounds of tomato juice were successfully predicted (Radj2>0.948; Af = 1.016–1.017) through secondary expressions. Information from this study would be useful in determining optimal HIPEF-conditions to produce tomato juices with a high retention of bioactive compounds.