Synergistic Ultrasonication-Enzymatic Strategy for Bioactives Extraction from Jamun (Syzygium cumini) Pulp for Functional Foods Application

Conventional pasteurization used for the elimination of harmful microorganisms also leads to thermal degradation of heat-sensitive bioactive composition present in Jamun ( Syzygium cumini ) fruit, thereby reducing the antioxidant activity. To address this limitation, the research focuses on how advanced technology, Ultrasonication Assisted Enzymatic Treatment (USEZT) has enhanced bioactive and biomacromolecule contents of jamun pulp. The study also has the potential to industrialise most perishable and sensitive jamun fruit pulp. Application of Response surface methodology (RSM) helped to capture the treatment effects and further ANOVA validated the predictive model’s robustness (R ² value). The optimized condition: 25 min sonication time, 20% amplitude, 0.45% enzyme concentration, and 60 min incubation gave experimentally measured values very close to model predictions, confirming the approach. Ultrasound-accelerated cell wall breakage and enzyme-catalysed hydrolysis promoted retention of phenols, Acn and enhanced antioxidant capacity, though with prolonged exposure, inducing oxidative degradation. Physicochemical analysis at optimized conditions increased: juice yield (75.5 ± 0.07%), ascorbic acid (24.91 ± 0.42 mg/100g), titratable acidity (1.38 ± 0.05%), total phenolic content (TPC) (760 ± 0.03 mg/100g), ferulic acid (0.91mg/100g), gallic acid (42.10 ± 0.05 mg/100g), Quercetin (0.80 ± 0.05 mg/100g), Acn (38.57 ± 0.10 mg/100g), increased redness (a*) (31.29 ± 0.02) and colour density (2.30 ± 0.09). The low-cost, non-thermal ultrasonication-enzymatic method keeps heat-sensitive bioactives in Jamun pulp intact, improving its nutritional value. This eco-friendly method helps maintain nutrient balance and supports targeted delivery in functional food applications.