Degradations of aroma characteristics and changes of aroma related compounds, PPO activity, and antioxidant capacity in sugarcane juice during thermal process.

Alterations of aroma properties and aroma-related attributes of sugarcane juice during thermal processing under different temperatures (90, 100, and 110 ℃) and treating time (10 s, 20 s, and 30 s) were assessed in this study. Changes in the volatility of aroma compounds were extremely complicated and respected to thermal processing conditions. Fructose, serine, and glutanic acid of sugarcane juice were increased at first and decreased at the end of treatment at high temperature. Phenolic compounds and PPO activity presented the decrease trends throughout the thermal treatment. The thermal processing of sugarcane juice could be roughly divided into three stages based on the cluster analysis of all the data in this study. Sugars, amino acids, and phenolic compounds might be important potential precursors of aroma deteriorating reactions. The comprehensive analysis of aroma relevant compounds and enzyme activities was beneficial for the investigation of degradation mechanism of aroma for sugarcane juice, and providing a theoretical basis for optimization of juice processing. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study demonstrated the changing process of aroma quality and associated compounds in sugarcane juice during thermal processing. This could help to find out the reasons of aroma degradations in sugarcane juice and other thermal sensitive juice. Our manuscript created a paradigm for future studies on the aroma quality control and parameter optimization during the processing of fruit and vegetable juice.