Snehasis Chakraborty

• BSc (Chem), BTech (Food Tech), MTech (FPE), PhD (FPE)
• Professor (Assistant) at Institute of Chemical Technology

Red chilies face significant challenges in maintaining quality and safety during storage, thus necessitating effective preservation strategies to extend their shelf life under varying environmental conditions. In this study, the effects of steam (ST) (120 °C|300 s), microwave (MW) (540 kJ), and pulsed light (PL) (2.59 J cm⁻²) conditions on the shel...

Onion dehydration has been associated with surface contamination. Blanching treatments eliminate surface contamination and improve color and texture of the onion prior to dehydration. However, contamination may occur during dehydration through air and human contact. Infrared treatment on the diced dehydrated onion was explored as post‐dehydration t...

Spices and herbs are a crucial component of the global food industry, valued for their unique flavors, aromas, and bioactive properties. However, microbial contamination and quality degradation during production, storage, and distribution pose significant challenges. Ultraviolet (UV) and pulsed light (PL) processing have emerged as nonthermal techn...

The influence of thermal (95°C, 5 min), pulsed light (PL, 1.64 kJ/cm² available fluence) and microwave (MW, 2 kW, and 16 min ≈ 90°C final temperature) treatment on various quality attributes and shelf‐life of bael (Aegle marmelos) beverage was investigated. The quality parameters under consideration included microbial growth, enzyme activity, bioac...

Mandarin juice was treated inside a bath ohmic heater at 15 different combinations of voltages (120, 160, and 200 V) and treatment times (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 s) targeting 85 °C. The come-up time to reach 85 °C for 120, 160, and 200 V were 240, 180, and 100 s, respectively. The system performance ranged between 88% and 98%. Ohmic heating rates...

The impact of pulsed light treatment (PLT) on natural microbiota and inoculated microbes such as Salmonella Typhimurium, Bacillus cereus , and Aspergillus flavus on red chilies was investigated. Sequential drying did not completely inactivate the aerobic mesophiles and yeast and mold count. Hence, PLT (0.53–2.59 J cm ⁻² ) was employed as a decontam...

Fresh onions are dehydrated to increase their shelf-life. Primarily, open dehydration techniques like solar dehydration come with the problem of contamination through natural air convection. A solar conduction dryer that uses conduction, convection, and radiation for dehydration of food samples is exploited in this study. The food samples are often...

Pulsed light (PL) pasteurization is being explored as a substitute for the conventional thermal pasteurization of juices in recent times due to better retention of nutrients and overall quality. However, the long‐term stability of the PL‐pasteurized juice must be investigated to promote its application by the industry. The effect of PL treatment (e...

Designing a pasteurization con dition for sweet lime juice while ensuring microbial safety, enzymatic stability, and high nutritional quality is crucial for satisfying stakeholder demands. The present research investigates the effects of matrix pH, ultrasound treatments, and sequential pulsed light on the microbial population, enzyme activity, and...

The shelf life of green chillies is very low due to high-water activity (aw = 0.90 ± 0.01). Balancing aw and moisture content is crucial for maintaining freshness, quality and extending shelf life of green chillies. To attain microbial and biochemical stability, the aw should be reduced to 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. Hence, a controlled drying proce...

Short‐chain fructooligosaccharides (sc‐FOS) are a soluble dietary fiber with a low calorific value and a sweet taste. The beverage industry is leveraging sc‐FOS in a variety of innovative functional drinks. However, sc‐FOS drinks are vulnerable to microbial spoilage due to the presence of free sugars and high water activity. This study explored the...

Microbial contamination of dehydrated onion products is a challenge to the industry. The study focused on opting for a suitable drying condition for minced onion and exploring the decontamination efficacy of pulsed light (PL) treatment conditions for the dehydrated product. The minced onions were hot air dried at 55–75°C for 280 min. The drying con...

Ready‐to‐drink (RTD) mango beverage enriched with short‐chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) was developed to reduce added sugar and incorporate a soluble prebiotic fiber. The impact of pulsed light (PL) technology on microbial inactivation, enzyme activity, and quality attributes in scFOS‐enriched mango RTD beverages was investigated. Effective PL...

Sweet lime peel and pomace are residual materials generated during the extraction of juice from sweet lime fruit pulp. Leveraging their economic and environmental advantages, sweet lime by-products like peel and pomace can serve as valuable ingredients for herbal tea production. This study aimed to standardize the preparation of herbal tea using sw...

The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of different packaging materials and storage temperatures on the stability and in vitro properties of microencapsulated spray-dried synbiotic kidney-mung bean beverage (KMB) powder. The formulation for the synbiotic KMB powder has been explored in our previous work. The present study focuses on the...

Dextran is a glucose-based homopolysaccharide. Its chemical structure consists of α-1-6-linked linear glucose units and α-1-3-linked branches, sometimes with α-1-2 or α-1-4 bonds [1]. Dextransucrase enzyme mediates its extracellular production from sucrose by bacterial species like Leuconostoc and Weissella. Weissella confusa H2-derived dextran dem...

The effect of pulsed light (PL) (exposed at 2988 J·cm− 2) and thermal pasteurization (TP) (95 °C|3 min) conditions on the shelf-life of pomegranate juice was studied while packed in ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and multi-layered polyethylene terephthalate (ML-PET) pouches at refrigerated storage (4 °C). Thermally pasteurized juice retained 27% les...

A set of experiments were conducted to screen the most thermo‐resistant microorganism and spoilage enzyme in sweet lime juice. Furthermore, the impact of matrix pH on the batch thermal treatment (75–95°C/0–10 min) intensities on Saccharomyces cerevisiae survival, PPO inactivation, and vitamin C retention in the sweet lime juice was evaluated. The i...

The primary issue of the sweet lime juice processing industry is its limited stability. The aim of this study is to examine the shelf life of pulsed light (PL) treated sweet lime juice at 4, 15, and 25 °C while packed in two different packaging materials (coextruded ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer [EVOH] and multi-layered polyethylene terephthalat...

Apple ber (Zizyphus mauritiana) is an underutilized fruit, rich in vitamin C and polyphenols. The raw juice after mechanical pressing of this fruit is very turbid and needs to be clarified using the pectinase enzyme. The study deals with the optimization of the enzymatic clarification process of apple ber juice using the incubation time (0.5–2.5 h)...

Ascorbic acid (AA) is a highly sensitive nutrient, which degrades at high temperatures (>60 °C), in the presence of metal ions and oxygen. There is a dearth of studies on the effect of pasteurization on AA in juices. This review attempts to propose a mechanism for the degradation of AA during ultraviolet (UV) and pulsed light (PL) treatments. While...

Drying of onion shreds in solar conductive dryer (SCD) and corrugated electrical solar conductive dryer (CESCD) are explored in this study. An attempt to improve the sample loading volume of SCD and CESCD is made using a fixed bed dryer (FBD) for initial drying. The techno-economic analysis is carried out for different pattern loading on SCD and CE...

Pectin methyl esterase (PME) is responsible for the destabilization of clouds in sweet orange juice. The study aims to optimize pulsed light (PL) and ultrasound (US) treatments for the maximum inactivation of PME in sweet orange juice. A central composite design was used for PL treatments (2.5 -2.9 kV for 200–300 s) and US treatments (40- 120 W for...

The effect of pH on microbial, enzyme inactivation, and bioactive retention in ultrasound (US) treated sweet lime (Citrus limetta) juice was studied. The pH of the juice varied at 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5, whereas the US duty cycle (DC) ranged between 75% and 95% (0.07–0.7 W/cm³), and the treatment time varied between 15 and 30 min. More than 5‐log reduct...

This study investigated the effect of three carrier agents, viz. maltodextrin (MD), gum acacia (GA), and xanthan gum (XG), on three synbiotic legume-based beverages subjected to optimized spray-drying conditions. Several characteristics of the encapsulated synbiotic powders were evaluated, including moisture content, bulk, and tapped density, disso...

Supercritical drying (SCD) has emerged as an alternative technology to conventional drying technologies. SCD addresses the challenges faced by food markets by providing high nutrient retention and superior quality products that resemble original products. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) is a widely used solvent that solubilizes water in the sa...

The objective of the present work is to optimize fermentation conditions for a set of three legume‐based synbiotic beverages made from green mung and red kidney beans, namely GMB (100% mung bean); RKB (100% kidney bean); and KB (7:3, kidney bean: mung bean) to attain desirable quality attributes. Face‐centered composite design (FCCD) was applied us...

Pineapple juice is preferred by consumers for its unique aroma and flavor that come from a set of amino acids, amines, phenolic compounds, and furanone. The juice is susceptible to spoilage, and a common practice is to pasteurize it at 70–95°C for 0.5–5 min. However, the characteristic flavors and phytochemicals are negatively influenced by the int...

A batch Ohmic heater (5 L) with a modified electrode arrangement was designed for quick and uniform heating of kinnow juice. A T-shaped arrangement and micro silver coating over stainless steel electrodes provided temperature variation of 0–2 °C across the system and a system performance coefficient of 0.96. The come-up time for 60–80 °C was 1.3–3...

Fruits and their products are significant sources of micronutrients and health-promoting compounds. Its high-water activity nature makes it suitable for the growth of various spoilage microorganisms (Salmonella, Listeria spp., Bacillus spp., etc.). This makes the processors suffer from extending the shelf life to make available in the offseason. Ot...

Erythritol is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener that can be used as a sugar substitute and humectant for different products such as confectionaries, tablets, etc. Methods such as extraction and chemical synthesis for erythritol synthesis are not feasible or sustainable due to lower yield and higher operating costs. In the present study, erythritol...

A closer look at traditional foods consumed in various parts of the country shows their efficacy and wisdom in the intelligent use of resources available in each specific geographical region ranging from coastal to plains to hilly to the desert, and the perfection achieved in processing such foods that suit the palate along with nutritional perspec...

This study aims to explore the shrinkage of onion cells, single and multi-layer onion section, and expansion of intercellular pathways during dehydration. For macro and bulk-level studies, moisture analyzer and hot air convective dryer were used, respectively. Shrinkage, size retention, and color changes due to dehydration and rehydration of onion...

The effect of batch pulsed light (PL) irradiation (3000 J cm⁻²) on the shelf-life of the beverage blend comprising apple ber (Indian jujube), carambola (star fruit), and black table grapes was investigated. The equivalent thermally treated beverage (90 °C|5 min) exhibited greater stability from microbial and enzymatic spoilage but retained 27% less...

The study aims to explore the mechanism and optimize the process of enzyme hydrolyzed bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) liquefaction using two different enzymes: pectinase and macerozyme r-10 (enzyme mixture). A full factorial design was applied for the factors with 0.05–1.5% (w/w) enzyme concentration (EC), 30–60 °C temperature, and incubation time of 3...

The study explores the effect of pH on microbial and enzyme inactivation in pulsed light (PL) treated sweet lime (Citrus limetta) juice. The matrix‐pH was varied at 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5, whereas the intensity (fluence) ranged between 1.2 and 3.0 kJ/cm2. More than 5‐log cycle reduction in Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli was achieved at 1.8...

The prebiotic properties of a set of synbiotic legume beverages were evaluated. The beverages were prepared using five ratios of kidney and mung beans, viz., 100% red kidney bean (RKB); 100% green mung bean (GMB); 1:1 (ZB); 3:7 (MB); and 7:3 (KB) and inoculated with probiotic Lactobacillus casei. The prebiotic activity score (PAS) and gastrointesti...

Background The inherent acidity of fruit products acts as a hurdle to microbial growth; however, enzymatic stability is still a concern for its shelf-life. In the last two decades, the fruit processing industry has shifted to nonthermal treatments to fulfill the demand for microbial and enzymatic stability. Nevertheless, while deciding the nontherm...

The study aims to optimize the extraction conditions for legume-based synbiotic beverages from kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and mung beans (Vigna radiata L.) using response surface methodology (RSM). The variables considered were NaHCO3 concentration (X1: 0.01–0.1% w/v), time (X2: 5–15 min), and temperature (X3: 80–100 °C). The quadratic mo...

The study explores the pasteurization condition of pomegranate juice using pulsed light (PL) treatment within a fluence domain of 312–2988 J cm⁻². A 5-log reduction (microbial safety) in Escherichia coli ATCC 43888, aerobic mesophiles, yeasts & molds count in the juice was obtained at 761.4 J cm⁻² (2.7 kV for 90 s). The thermal treatment attaining...

A mixed fruit beverage was formulated according to D-optimal mixture design using apple ber juice (X1, 45–59% v/v) - an underexplored fruit, carambola juice (X2, 1–20% v/v), and black table grape juice (X3, 35–40% v/v). The crisp overall acceptability (COA) from 16 semi-trained panelists and overall hedonic score (OSH) from consumers were estimated...

Onion and dehydrated onion products are produced and consumed more than any other agriproduct in India. Massive losses are seen due to poor storage conditions, and thereby, economic loss. Dehydration of onion products is commonly employed to extend the shelf-life and facilitate bulk handling. However, spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms have bee...

Pulsed light (PL) is a polychromatic radiation‐based technology, among many other non‐thermal processing techniques. The microbiological lethality of the PL technique has been explored in different food matrices along with their associated mechanisms. Pasteurization of fruit juice requires a 5‐log cycle reduction in the resistant pathogen in the pr...

Phytochemicals have gained importance in tackling viral infections and related symptoms. In this review, the role of quercetin in onions, its absorption, and metabolism have been focussed. The action mechanism of quercetin against the inflammatory responses in the human body has been discussed. Onion dehydration and its effects on phytochemicals ha...

The growing needs and evolving lifestyle of society have increased demand for processed foods. Consumers want these food products to be not only safe and stable but also nutritious and minimally processed. The conventional thermal processing of food products is known to be a reliable pasteurization technology providing adequate microbial safety and...

The functional foods market has experienced a rapid rise in the last few years because of the increased interest of consumers in adopting a healthy lifestyle. The application of probiotics and prebiotics together with non-dairy ingredients like fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and agro-food waste for developing pro- and synbiotic beverages and...

The impact of batch thermal treatment (50–95°C/0–10 min) on various quality attributes of a mixed fruit beverage (pomegranate–amla–muskmelon juice = 57:5:38) was evaluated. The responses include microbial count (aerobic mesophiles [AM], yeast and mold [YM], psychrotrophs [PSY], and lactic acid bacteria [LAB]); enzyme activity (polyphenol oxidase [P...

Enzymatic hydrolysis of naringin by the action of naringinase is one of the standard practices adopted in the citrus fruit juice industry for debittering. In the present study, a submerged fermentation condition was optimized for producing naringinase from Aspergillus niger van Tieghem MTCC 2425. As per Placket–Burman design, pH (3–5), incubation t...

The temperature abuse encountered by food products during storage due to deviations from the recommended storage conditions often leads to a considerable loss, especially for frozen and refrigerated foods. From a consumer perspective, the real history of time–temperature data is of interest so that the customer can get an idea about the remaining s...

( Article Access Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/CDNGFTGYXGEP5FWZYXG3?target=10.1111/jfpe.13676 ) Formulation of reduced‐calorie, antioxidant‐enriched sapodilla‐based spread was developed using rotatable central composite design of factors/ingredient proportions (mass ratio of sapodilla pulp to grape juice, pectin, and citric a...

One of the most studied neonatal interventions includes the role of probiotics in treating infant infections. The use of probiotics in the pediatric field as an emerging area has been discussed in this chapter. The major focus is on the probiotics that are employed at both commercial and research levels for the prevention of various diseases and in...

The study aims to formulate a mixed fruit beverage through sensory analysis, and the composition was optimized using a fuzzy logic algorithm. The fuzzy optimization algorithm was developed using a modified Takagi and Sugeno's approach, polynomial mixture modeling, and nonlinear solver engine. The optimized blend consisted of amla juice, pineapple j...

The enzyme assisted juice extraction from custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) puree was optimized within the domain of 0.3‐5% (w/w) enzyme concentration (EC), 0.5‐5 h incubation period (t), and 30‐60 °C temperature (T). A multi‐objective optimization was carried out using two techniques; response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural netwo...

In the past few years, certain functional foods have gained consumer acceptance like those containing synbiotics (a blend of both prebiotics and probiotics) in different food systems. Synbiotics enhance gut functionality and confer health benefits to humans. However, due to the limitations exerted by dairy‐based matrices like lactose intolerance, m...

The study investigates the influence of pulsed light (PL) processing parameters on quality of mixed fruit beverage followed by kinetic modeling. The attributes tested were aerobic mesophiles (AM), yeast and mold (YM) counts, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity, color change (ΔE*), browning index (ΔBI), antioxidant capacity (AOC),...

The impact of pulsed light (PL) treatment conditions on color profile, antioxidant activity, phenolics, vitamin C content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activityin Indian gooseberry (amla) juicewas explored. The juice was extractedmechanically from the raw fruits. The fluence orintensity of PL varied from1504 to 3012 J·cm‐2,and comp...

The effect of pulsed light (PL) on numerous important quality characteristics of pineapple juice was studied and compared with untreated and thermally pasteurised samples. The laboratory scale PL batch system used was operated with each three different voltages (1.8, 2.1, and 2.4 kV) and numbers of pulses (47, 94, and 187). Treatments with 2.4 kV a...

A mixed fruit beverage was developed through sensory analysis (quality rating test) within the domain of 40–85 mL, 5–15 mL, 10–45 mL of pomegranate, amla, muskmelon juice, respectively in 100 mL beverage. Sensory data from a semi-trained panel (16 members) was analyzed through fuzzy logic for ranking. Further, consumer acceptability was tested for...

Effect of thermal assisted high pressure processing (THPP) on physicochemical (pH, total soluble solids [TSS], titrable acidity, color) biochemical (phenols, ascorbic acid [AA], antioxidants), and enzymatic (polyphenol oxidase [PPO] and peroxidase [POD]) attributes of the sugarcane based mixed beverage were studied within a domain of pressure (300–...

Food powders are appreciated worldwide, as it enables food to be preserved for an extended period without significant loss of quality, even under the ambient storage condition. However, it is evidenced that the development of resistant microbial spore and viable microbial cells is a matter of concern even in low moisture foods like food powders. Fo...

Prosopis cineraria is one of the leguminous trees in arid India, and its pods are known as “Sangri”. The study aims to optimize the extraction condition for soluble protein from Sangri seed flour using response surface methodology considering pH (8–12), extraction temperature (30–60 °C) and time (1–3 h) as variables. The optimized condition suggest...