Comparison between different ion exchange resins for the deacidification of passion fruit juice Original Research Article

Passion fruit is highly appreciated for its aroma, but its strong acidity limits its use in formulated food products. In this study, deacidification of clarified passion fruit juice using ion exchange resins has been evaluated. Ten commercial weakly basic anion exchange resins were compared using a 50 ml column. The deacidification was carried out in order to increase juice pH from 3 to 4. The increase in pH was obtained by reduction of the citric ions that were exchanged by the OH− ions of the resin. The flow rate had a significant effect on the volume of juice treated. The lower the flow rate, the higher the volume of juice obtained. Assays were done in order to reduce reagent consumption during regeneration. Also, the use of a solution of NaOH 32 g l−1 at 4 BV h−1 gave a satisfactory regeneration and low consumption of rinsing water. The physico-chemical properties of deacidified juice using different resins were identical to one another. Amberlite IRA67, IRA95 and Duolite A378 and A7 were the most suitable resins for the deacidification of the passion fruit juice because of the low consumption of regenerants and the high yield of deacidified juice obtained.