The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of concentrations of mixed enzymes (Rapidase EX Color and Accellerase) and incubation times on the release of biologically active compounds and the extraction efficiency of cantaloupe juice.
Different concentrations of the mixed enzymes (0.25-1.0 per cent) and incubation times (1-5 h) were used. The yield, clarity, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities were investigated.
The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, β-carotene, ascorbic acid content and antioxidant capacities as evaluated by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power were approximately 6, 3.25, 3, 2.5, 3.5 and 3.0 times higher than the control samples after incubating with 0.5 per cent enzyme for 2 h (p < 0.05). This condition was recommended to promote the release of biologically active compounds and still provided a 32 per cent increase in the amount of the extracted juice.
Cantaloupe juice produced by enzymatic treatment could be claimed to be a source of health enhancing compounds. This work could be used as a guideline for the industry to develop high value-added functional drinks from cantaloupe.
This study evaluates for the first study on the application of Rapidase EX Color and Accellerase for improving the phytochemical compounds in cantaloupe juice. This technique could successfully extract the cantaloupe juice with biologically active nutrients containing beneficial health effects.
