Studies on the Clarification and Concentration of Beetroot Juice

Studies on the clarification and subsequent concentration of beetroot juice were carried out. The juice was clarified using enzyme, fining agent (FA), centrifugation and ultrafiltration (UF), while reverse osmosis (RO) and thermovacuum evaporation were used for concentration. The juices were concentrated to 23–25°Brix, and the physicochemical characteristics were evaluated at different stages of processing on the basis of clarity, permeate flux, °Brix, acidity, sugars, pigments and CIE L*, a* and b* (lightness, redness and yellowness, respectively) color values. Average permeate flux during RO was found to be highest (36.08 liters per square meter of membrane per hour [L/m2h]) in the case of enzyme treatment, followed by UF juice, and lowest (30.33 L/m 2 h) in the case of enzyme and FA treatments. In terms of clarity of concentrate, the highest value was obtained for juices pretreated with enzyme and UF. Pigment content and L*, a* and b* values showed that pigment loss was higher in the case of RO-concentrated juice pretreated with enzyme. Comparative evaluation in terms of clarity, color and chemical parameters showed that concentrates obtained using both techniques were comparable.