Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman Biomechanism and Bioenergy Research 2821-1855 5 1 2026 03 01 Mild Heat and Microwave Inactivation of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Pomegranate Juice 20 30 5379 10.22103/bbr.2026.26448.1144 EN Hamid-Reza Akhavan Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran. Mohsen Barzegar Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Ali Sahari Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2025 12 05 Pomegranate juice is a rich source of functional ingredients which thermal processing significantly affects its functional compounds. In this study, the effect of mild heat and microwave processing on the inactivation of inoculated microorganisms in pomegranate juice was studied. The juices were processed with mild heat treatment (52, 54, 56, 58 and 60°C for 0 to 120 s) and also with a domestic microwave at 600 W (for 0, 45, 60, 67.5, 75, 80, and 90 s) and 900 W (for 0, 30, 40, 45, 50, and 60 s). Mild heat (at 60°C for 120 s) and microwave (600 and 900 W for 90 and 60 s, respectively) treatments led to a reduction of approximately 6.65 log cycles in E. coli and 5.06 log cycles in S. cerevisiae. The mild temperature of 58°C for 120 s reduced S. cerevisiae to below the detection limit, while the population of E. coli was inactivated at 60°C for 120 s. Also, the S. cerevisiae load at 600 W/80 s and 900 W/50 s was less than the detection limit. But, the E. coli load at 600 W/90 s and 900 W/60 s were less than detection limit. The type of pomegranate juice did not have a significant effect on microbial inactivation in both mild heat and microwave processes. Similar to mild heat treatment, S. cerevisiae was more sensitive than E. coli at both microwave powers. https://bbr.uk.ac.ir/article_5379_2d488d6366a680c38ad131d68638ebd2.pdf