  We propose a three-flavor version of the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasino (PNJL)
model at zero temperature regime, by implementing a traced Polyakov loop
($\Phi$) dependence in the scalar, vector and 't Hooft channel strengths. We
study the thermodynamics of this model, named as PNJL0, with special attention
for the first order confinement/deconfinement phase transition for which $\Phi$
is the order parameter. For the symmetric quark matter case, an interesting
feature observed is a strong reduction of the constituent strange quark mass
($M_s$) at the chemical potential related to point where deconfinement takes
place. The emergence of $\Phi$ favors the restoration of chiral symmetry even
for the strange quark. We also investigate the charge neutral system of quarks
and leptons in weak equilibrium. As an application, we construct a hadron-quark
phase transition with a density dependent hadronic model coupled to the SU(3)
PNJL0 model. In this case, the quark side is composed by deconfined particles.
This approach is used to determine mass-radius profiles compatible with recent
data from the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission.
