Flavor Retention in Progressive Freeze-Concentration of Coffee Extract and Pear (La France) Juice Flavor Condensate

Concentration of coffee extract and pear (La France) juice flavor condensate was carried out by progressive freeze-concentration (PFC) and the change in flavor profiles before and after concentration was analyzed. The results were compared with those by reverse osmosis (RO) and vacuum evaporation at 50 degrees C (Evp). From GC/MS analysis, nine major flavor components, all heterocyclic, were detected for coffee flavors while twelve flavor components, mostly alcohols and esters, were detected for pear flavors. In Evp, almost all flavors were lost from the concentrate. In RO, some components, especially esters and alcohols, selectively permeated through the membrane so that the flavor distribution balance was changed for the reconstituted product after concentration. In PFC, the flavor distribution balance was almost unchanged for the reconstituted product after concentration although a loss was observed to some extent because of the incorporation of solutes into the ice phase. This incorporation of solutes into the ice phase was proved to be nonselective because the flavor balance in the ice phase was also unchanged from the original. This nonselective separation mechanism between the ice and the liquid phase seemed to explain the good retention of the flavor balance in PFC.