Effect of commercial processing stages of apple juice on patulin, fumaric acid and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) levels

Abstract

The effects of different stages of commercial apple juice production on the patulin, fumaric acid and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) contents of apple juice were investigated. Heat treatment and activated charcoal were effective for the reduction of patulin. The average reduction of patulin were 13.4% and 22.9% for heat treatment and activated charcoal, respectively. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences (P < 0.05) in the presence of fumaric acid between different treatments. Filtration and heat treatment caused an apparent increase in the HMF content, while activated charcoal caused a decrease. The average increments of HMF were 40.4% and 38.0% for separation and heat treatment, respectively, while the average reduction of HMF was 23.7% for activated charcoal. Spiking of samples with known amounts of patulin and fumaric acid revealed respective recovery rates of 96.4% and 95.9%.