Abstract

Pitaya or dragon fruit is highly evaluated due to its phytochemical constituents with numerous nutritional benefits but is very perishable during post-harvest owing to its high respiration rate. On the situation of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in China, many containers of dragon fruit get stuck at the border gate which can be converted into different value-added forms, juice is a case in point. Clarification is an important processing step in pitaya fruit juice processing and is essential to obtain a bright, clear appearance with low viscosity free from colloids, especially pectin. This study was conducted during 2020 at Soc Trang Nanotech laboratory, Soc Trang province, Vietnam to evaluate the impact of pectinase concentrations (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 μL/100mL) and incubation durations (30, 45, 60, 75, 90 minutes) at 35°C to juice turbidity (NTU) and viscosity (cP). Results revealed that 30 μL/100 mL of pectinase in incubation time of 75 minutes at 35°C were adequate to achieve an excellent overall acceptance of pitaya juice. These operating parameters were beneficial for the subsequent membrane based clarification process.