Degradation Kinetics of Anthocyanin in Blueberry Juice during Thermal Treatment

The kinetics of anthocyanin degradation in blueberry juice during thermal treatment at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C were investigated in the present study. Anthocyanin degradation was analyzed up to the level of 50% retention using a pH differential method. The degradation of anthocyanin at each temperature level followed a first-order kinetic model, and the values of half-life time (t₁/₂) at temperatures of 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C were found to be 180.5, 42.3, 25.3, 8.6, and 5.1 h, respectively. The activation energy value of the degradation of the 8.9 ° Brix blueberry juice during heating was 80.4 kJ·mol⁻¹. The thermodynamic functions of activation (ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS) have been determined as central to understanding blueberry degradation.