{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T16:10:24Z","timestamp":1789056624979,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788998400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Blueberry juice is valued for its distinctive flavor and health-promoting bioactive compounds, but thermal processing and subsequent storage can alter its quality and aroma. While previous studies have focused on total volatile profiles, the behavior of chiral aroma compounds\u2014particularly linalool enantiomers\u2014during processing and storage remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pasteurization (PT, 90 \u00b0C for 30 s) and ultra-high temperature processing (UHT, 135 \u00b0C for 6 s) on the physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, volatile profiles, and sensory characteristics of blueberry juice during storage at 4, 25, and 35 \u00b0C for 4 weeks, with a special emphasis on the enantiomeric changes in linalool. A chiral column-based GC-MS method was established to quantify (R)- and (S)-linalool enantiomers, given their distinct odor thresholds and sensory contributions. The results showed that both thermal treatments ensured microbial safety, but UHT caused greater color deterioration, loss of phenolics and anthocyanins, and formation of off-flavor compounds. PT better preserved color, bioactive components, and natural fruity aroma. Storage temperature was the dominant factor driving quality decline, with 4 \u00b0C significantly retarding deterioration. Notably, the two thermal processes exhibited distinct mechanisms affecting chiral linalool stability: PT primarily induced isomerization of (R)-linalool to the (S)-form, leading to a gradual decrease in the R\/S ratio, whereas UHT led to direct degradation of (R)-linalool, resulting in a more rapid shift in the R\/S ratio under the same conditions. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring enantiomeric composition rather than total linalool content for flavor quality assessment. The combination of PT and refrigerated storage (4 \u00b0C) is recommended to maximize overall quality retention, as PT better preserves the natural chiral balance of linalool. This study demonstrates that appropriate thermal processing and low-temperature storage are effective strategies to maintain the quality and chiral flavor stability of blueberry juice, providing new insights into the role of enantiomer-specific changes in processed fruit products.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules31183198","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T15:54:19Z","timestamp":1789055659000},"page":"3198","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of Thermal Processing and Storage on the Quality and Chirality of Linalool in Blueberry Juice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"given":"Zeyu","family":"Zhou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chaoyi","family":"Tu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4391-4497","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fang","family":"Yuan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China"},{"name":"Hubei Key Laboratory of Fruit & Vegetable Processing & Quality Control, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5062","DOI":"10.1111\/1750-3841.15944","article-title":"Blueberry Juice: Bioactive Compounds, Health Impact, and Concentration Technologies\u2014A Review","volume":"86","author":"Petzold","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bai, X., Zhou, L., Zhou, L., Cang, S., Liu, Y., Liu, R., Liu, J., Feng, X., and Fan, R. (2023). The Research Progress of Extraction, Purification and Analysis Methods of Phenolic Compounds from Blueberry: A Comprehensive Review. Molecules, 28.","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules28083610"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101035","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foohum.2026.101035","article-title":"Advancements and Future Perspectives in Blueberry Processing Technology","volume":"6","author":"Guo","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Humanit."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Polak, N., Kalisz, S., and Kruszewski, B. (2024). High-Temperature Short-Time and Ultra-High-Temperature Processing of Juices, Nectars and Beverages: Influences on Enzyme, Microbial Inactivation and Retention of Bioactive Compounds. Appl. Sci., 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/app14198978"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102354","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fochx.2025.102354","article-title":"Effects of Different Sterilisation Methods on the Quality and Flavor of Non from Concentrate (NFC) Actinidia Arguta Juice","volume":"27","author":"Chen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Chem. X"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"419","DOI":"10.4014\/jmb.2212.12022","article-title":"A Review of the Efficacy of Ultraviolet C Irradiation for Decontamination of Pathogenic and Spoilage Microorganisms in Fruit Juices","volume":"33","author":"Mansur","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Microbiol. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zia, H., Slatnar, A., Ko\u0161merl, T., and Koro\u0161ec, M. (2024). A Review Study on the Effects of Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing Techniques on the Sensory Properties of Fruit Juices and Beverages. Front. Food. Sci. Technol., 4.","DOI":"10.3389\/frfst.2024.1405384"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104538","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2022.104538","article-title":"Comparative Study of Volatile Composition of Major Northern Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Varieties","volume":"110","author":"Qian","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109865","DOI":"10.1016\/j.plaphy.2025.109865","article-title":"Characteristics of Key Aroma Components in Blueberry Fruits and the Regulatory Mechanism of Aroma Formation","volume":"224","author":"Wei","year":"2025","journal-title":"Plant Physiol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147948","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2026.147948","article-title":"Identification and Characterization of Key Aroma Chemotypes and Volatile Biomarkers by HS-SPME-GC\u2013MS for Precision Flavor Breeding in Blueberries","volume":"505","author":"Lei","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sheng, L., Ni, Y., Wang, J., Chen, Y., and Gao, H. (2021). Characteristic-Aroma-Component-Based Evaluation and Classification of Strawberry Varieties by Aroma Type. Molecules, 26.","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules26206219"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"148729","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2026.148729","article-title":"Chiral Aroma Compounds in Alcoholic Beverages: A Review","volume":"511","author":"Chen","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"622","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2017.06.136","article-title":"Flavor and Chiral Stability of Lemon-Flavored Hard Tea during Storage","volume":"239","author":"He","year":"2018","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5691","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jafc.1c01044","article-title":"Characterization of Aroma-Active Compounds in Northern Highbush Blueberries \u201cBluecrop\u201d (Vaccinium corymbosum \u201cBluecrop\u201d) and \u201cElliott\u201d (Vaccinium corymbosum \u201cElliott\u201d) by Gas Chromatography\u2013Olfactometry Dilution Analysis and Odor Activity Value","volume":"69","author":"Qian","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130812","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.130812","article-title":"Optimization and validation of a SPME-GC\/MS method for the determination of volatile compounds, including enantiomeric analysis, in northern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.)","volume":"368","author":"Pico","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114077","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2024.114077","article-title":"Review of Fruits Flavor Deterioration in Postharvest Storage: Odorants, Formation Mechanism and Quality Control","volume":"182","author":"Zhao","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.1007\/s00217-010-1366-8","article-title":"Influence of Different Storage Conditions on Changes in the Key Aroma Compounds of Orange Juice Reconstituted from Concentrate","volume":"232","author":"Averbeck","year":"2011","journal-title":"Eur. Food Res. Technol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4530","DOI":"10.1007\/s13197-018-3389-2","article-title":"Changes of Aroma Compounds and Qualities of Freshly-Squeezed Orange Juice during Storage","volume":"55","author":"Li","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112403","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfoodeng.2024.112403","article-title":"Uncertainty and Variability in Post-Processing Kinetic Calculations- Nutritional Quality Loss in Fruit Juice Products","volume":"390","author":"Giannakourou","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Food Eng."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101265","DOI":"10.1016\/j.afres.2025.101265","article-title":"Physicochemical, Functional, and Sensory Properties of Berries at Different Maturity Stages","volume":"5","author":"Siche","year":"2025","journal-title":"Appl. Food Res."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17012","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-43251-2","article-title":"Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, \u03b1-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity, and Toxicity Evaluation of Orthosiphon stamineus Leaf Extract","volume":"13","author":"Ahda","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1021\/jf048859d","article-title":"Identification and Antioxidant Potential of Flavonoids and Low Molecular Weight Phenols in Olive Cultivar Chemlali Growing in Tunisia","volume":"53","author":"Bouaziz","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112036","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2026.112036","article-title":"Method Development and Validation of Anthocyanin Quantification in Blueberry and Bilberry Powder: Analysis of the Market Integrity of Anthocyanin-Based Food Supplements","volume":"184","author":"Jaspers","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.22271\/plants.2025.v13.i4c.1910","article-title":"Assessment of Free Radical Scavenging Potential of Selected Fruit Extracts by DPPH Method","volume":"13","author":"Khatoon","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Med. Plants Stud."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"873","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2008.12.103","article-title":"Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic, Organic Acid and Sugar Content in Commercial Pomegranate Juices","volume":"115","author":"Tezcan","year":"2009","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Plantevin, M., Merpault, Y., Lecourt, J., Destrac-Irvine, A., Dijsktra, L., and Van Leeuwen, C. (2024). Characterization of Varietal Effects on the Acidity and pH of Grape Berries for Selection of Varieties Better Adapted to Climate Change. Front. Plant Sci., 15.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2024.1439114"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137155","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2023.137155","article-title":"In situ Raman characterization of the stability of blueberry anthocyanins in aqueous solutions under perturbations in temperature, UV, pH","volume":"431","author":"Duan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.3746\/pnf.2018.23.1.46","article-title":"Impact of Various Factors on Color Stability of Fresh Blueberry Juice during Storage","volume":"23","author":"Song","year":"2018","journal-title":"Prev. Nutr. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"C173","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1750-3841.2009.01479.x","article-title":"Degradation Kinetics of Anthocyanin in Blueberry Juice during Thermal Treatment","volume":"75","author":"Kechinski","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.3233\/JBR-160133","article-title":"Improved Stability of Blueberry Juice Anthocyanins by Acidification and Refrigeration","volume":"6","author":"Howard","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Berry Res."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110334","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodhyd.2024.110334","article-title":"pH-dependent interactions between \u03b2-casein and blueberry anthocyanins based on typical thermal processing conditions: Stability, structural characterization, and binding mechanisms","volume":"156","author":"Xin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Hydrocoll."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"146388","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2025.146388","article-title":"Dynamic Changes in Physicochemical Characteristics, Bioactivity and Flavor Profile of Fermented Strawberry Juice by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum","volume":"495","author":"Tong","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2793","DOI":"10.22271\/chemi.2020.v8.i2aq.9171","article-title":"Physicochemical Properties of Grape Juice Pasteurized by Ohmic Heating Technology","volume":"8","author":"Kumar","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Chem. Stud."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112835","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2023.112835","article-title":"Factors Affecting Aroma Compounds in Orange Juice and Their Sensory Perception: A Review","volume":"169","author":"Pan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114546","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2024.114546","article-title":"Investigation of the formation of furfural compounds in apple products treated with pasteurization and high pressure processing","volume":"190","author":"Gao","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Farneti, B., Khomenko, I., Grisenti, M., Ajelli, M., Betta, E., Algarra, A.A., Cappellin, L., Aprea, E., Gasperi, F., and Biasioli, F. (2017). Exploring Blueberry Aroma Complexity by Chromatographic and Direct-Injection Spectrometric Techniques. Front. Plant Sci., 8.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2017.00617"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"117282","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2025.117282","article-title":"Integration of E-nose, Volatilomic Profiling, and Transcriptomics Reveals the Mechanisms Aroma Formation during the Ripening Process of Blueberries","volume":"221","author":"Jin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"398","DOI":"10.1002\/jssc.201301151","article-title":"Enantiomeric Distribution of Major Chiral Volatile Organic Compounds in Juniper-flavored Distillates","volume":"37","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Sep. Sci."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Forney, C.F., Qiu, S., Jordan, M.A., McCarthy, D., and Fillmore, S. (2022). Comparison of Volatile Compounds Contributing to Flavor of Wild Lowbush (Vaccinium augustifolium) and Cultivated Highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum) Blueberry Fruit Using Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry. Foods, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods11162516"},{"key":"ref_40","first-page":"92","article-title":"Enantiospecific Determination of the Odour Threshold Concentrations of (R)- and (S)-Linalool in Water and Beer","volume":"76","author":"Reglitz","year":"2023","journal-title":"BrewingScience"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103147","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eti.2023.103147","article-title":"Optimization of Ellagic Acid Extraction from Blueberry Pulp through Enzymatic Hydrolysis Combined with Ultrasound-Assisted Organic Solvent","volume":"31","author":"Xie","year":"2023","journal-title":"Environ. Technol. Innov."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1016\/S0023-6438(02)00087-7","article-title":"Effect of thermal pasteurization on Valencia orange juice color and pigments","volume":"36","author":"Lee","year":"2003","journal-title":"LWT Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"390","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2621.2000.tb16013.x","article-title":"Anthocyanins, Phenolics, and Antioxidant Capacity of Processed Lowbush Blueberry Products","volume":"65","author":"Kalt","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113144","DOI":"10.1016\/j.postharvbio.2024.113144","article-title":"Objective Instrumental Method for Blueberry (Vaccinium Spp.) Juiciness Determination Compared to Sensory Evaluation","volume":"218","author":"Castro","year":"2024","journal-title":"Postharvest Biol. Technol."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Liu, M., Bai, L., Shang, W., Ren, R., Zhao, Z., and Sun, Y. (2023). Establishing a Berry Sensory Evaluation Model Based on Machine Learning. Foods, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods12183502"}],"container-title":["Molecules"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1420-3049\/31\/18\/3198\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T15:54:37Z","timestamp":1789055677000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1420-3049\/31\/18\/3198"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["molecules31183198"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/molecules31183198","relation":{},"ISSN":["1420-3049"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1420-3049","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]}}}