Characterisation of cell wall polysaccharides in bilberries and black currants

During berry juice production, polysaccharides are released from the cell walls and cause thickening and high viscosity when the berries are mashed. Consequences are a low juice yield and a poor colour. This can be prevented by the use of enzymes that degrade these polysaccharides. To use these enzymes most efficiently, the structure and composition of the cell walls had to be known. This thesis describes a detailed composition of the cell walls of bilberries and black currants. The obtained results were used to monitor changes in the cell walls during different treatments such as enzyme treatment and high pressure processing. A higher viscosity and lower juice yield after high pressure processing were assigned to changes in pectin structure and extractability. Based on this knowledge, a synergistic effect was obtained by combining high pressure processing with treatment with commercial enzyme preparations