Craig Leadley

High-pressure processing, microwave, ohmic and conventional thermal pasteurization; Quality aspects and energy economics. Nov 29, 2019, Journal of Food Process Engineering ..

James C.Atuonwu, Craig Leadley, Andrew Bosman, Savas A. Tassou
In this work, we collect and compare product quality data (vitamin C and flavor compounds) for orange juice processed using conventional thermal and innovative (high pressure, microwave, and ohmic) technologies under commercially representative conditions. We also measure and compare their respective energy demands and associated costs. While significant efficiency gains are made due to electrification using the innovative technologies (especially the ohmic process), the high per‐unit costs of grid electricity results in poorer processing economics relative to conventional gas‐fired technologies. UK levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) data suggest that as the share of renewables in the electricity generation energy mix is increased, the innovative technologies will eventually become more economical, in addition to the significant greenhouse gas emission reductions per liter of product. No significant differences are observed in the quality attributes of the processed product across all the technologies. The innovative electricity‐driven technologies are thus promising alternatives to conventional thermal pasteurization.