Quality and microbial safety evaluation of new isotonic beverages upon thermal treatments

Physicochemical and functional properties of new sports drink with ricotta cheese whey and a brazilian passion fruit variety

The present study investigated the bioaccessibility of minerals, bioactive compounds, and sensory acceptance of isotonic beverages formulated with Ricotta cheese whey (RCW) and passion fruit cv. BRS Sertão Forte. Three formulations were developed: I1 with 50% RCW and 5% passion fruit pulp, I2 with 50% RCW and 8.5% pulp, and I3 with 30% RCW and 12% pulp. I3 showed higher ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activity, exhibited the highest scores in the consumer test, and maintained its physicochemical stability and microbiological safety during the storage at 7 °C for 56 days. (-)-Epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, and cis-resveratrol were the main phenolic compounds quantified in the isotonic beverages. I1 and I3 exhibited high bioaccessibility of the minerals K, Na, and Mg (37-70%) compared to I2, which showed bioaccessibility between 31 and 40%. The beverages developed are innovative alternatives for the market of supplements for athletes, combining the use of a dairy industry by-product and a new variety of passion fruit to date little-explored economically.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05636-5.

Contribution of Grape Juice to Develop New Isotonic Drinks With Antioxidant Capacity and Interesting Sensory Properties

Nowadays, the sector of isotonic beverages has developed its market based on fruit juices that provide a sports drink with antioxidant and biological activities in addition to their principal role of rehydration and replacement of minerals and carbohydrates during physical exercise. Consumption of grape juice is increasing worldwide because of its sensory characteristics and nutritional value. It contains mainly water, sugars, organic acids, and phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds play a major role in prevention of various diseases through their biological activities linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anticancer, anti-aging, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective properties. Several studies have demonstrated that grape juice is able to improve performances of antioxidant activity, protect against oxidative damage, and reduce inflammation during sports activities. Polyphenol content also provides a great sensory profile, mainly color which is an important indicator for consumers when choosing beverage products. The contribution of grape juice through its nutritional value and sensory properties makes it an alternative for the development of a new isotonic drink that will be a novel and healthy product in the field of healthy beverages.

Elaboration of an organic beverage based on grape juice with positive nutritional properties

The present study aimed to develop a natural beverage with interesting phytochemical composition and biological activity based on grape juice without added sugars or artificial additives. Two groups of blends were made by diluting concentrate grape juice with a sugar content of 65 °Brix with two different mineral waters (BA: Bezoya with low mineralization; BB: Solan de Cabras with high mineralization). Lemon juice was used for pH correction, and mixtures of extractions of hop with tea and hop with mint were used to increase aroma. Samples were stored under refrigeration (4°C) then subjected to physicochemical and sensory analysis. The results demonstrated that malvidin-3-O-glucoside pigment was the predominant pigment with a concentration ranging from 75.71 ± 12.49 to 84.87 ± 1.70 mg/L. The levels of sugars ranged from 79.90 ± 1.37 to 82.37 ± 0.55 g/L and total soluble solids were between 5.47 ± 0.12 and 5.77 ± 0.06 °Brix. Total acids presented a significant difference, ranging from 1.40 ± 0.00 to 1.43 ± 0.06 g/L in BA samples and from 1.10 ± 0.10 to 1.20 ± 0.00 g/L in BB samples. For 20 days, the color increased in all beverages. However, BA drinks presented higher acidity and higher red color intensity than BB drinks, so the type of water and pH influenced the color of beverages. The sensory evaluation showed that the beverage made with low mineral water and flavored with a mixture of hop with tea was preferred.

Comparative Study of Metabolomic Profile and Antioxidant Content of Adult and In Vitro Leaves of Aristotelia chilensis

This work aimed to identify the bioactive compounds present in adult maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) leaves from different stages of development and seasons of the year and compare them with leaves obtained from maqui plants grown in vitro. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of maqui leaf extracts by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn showed the presence of different polyphenolic compounds classified into galloyl and caffeoyl quinic acids, ellagitannins and ellagic acid- and flavonoid-derivatives. In general, the total phenolic content of the in vitro samples was higher than that of ex vitro samples, whereas the total flavonoid content was higher in winter basal leaves. Additionally, the analysis by HPLC-MS showed that the extract from spring basal leaves was enriched in quercetin, catechin, kaempferol and 3-caffeoyl quinic acids, while in the in vitro leaves extract, quercetin was not present. As regards lipophilic compounds identified by GC/MS, the samples of in vitro leaves showed a high presence of α-tocopherol and β-sitosterol. In contrast, the samples of adult leaves presented a hight level of linolenic and linoleic acids. These results suggest that maqui leaves could be an excellent source of antioxidants and lipophilic compounds for many industries, such as the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

Evaluation of Color, Texture, Sensory and Antioxidant Properties of Gels Composed of Freeze-Dried Maqui Berries and Agave Sugar

The study aimed to determine the textural, sensory, and antioxidant properties of gels composed of maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) berries. These freeze-dried berries were tested in a powdered form as an additive (0–5%) to agave sugar (20%) gels. Freeze-dried maqui powdered berries were dark purple to almost black in color and were characterized by an L* value of 16.3, an a* value of 8.3, and a b* value of −9.6. The b* values decreased from 11.8 to 2.3 with the increase in the amount of berry powder. There were no significant changes in the color of gels composed of berries at 4% and 5% concentration. Gels lost (almost twice) their hardness as the amount of maqui increased. The lowest values of hardness and the highest values of elasticity, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness were observed at 4% concentration of dried berries. The type of sugar did not affect the lightness of the gels (L* parameter) and the a* value. The assessors evaluated the gels composed of agave sugar (20%) and 4% maqui and 0.5% citric acid to be the best. Phenolic content and antioxidant activity were significantly higher in these gels compared to the control gels. After obtaining this low sugar gels, consumers could enrich their diets with healthier products.

Isotonic Beverage Pigmented with Water-Dispersible Emulsion from Astaxanthin Oleoresin

Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant, because it neutralizes free radicals and plays a vital role in the prevention of human diseases. The objective of this work was to develop an isotonic beverage (IB) of orange-red color, using an astaxanthin oleoresin emulsion (AOE) that is dispersible in water. This was carried out in order to simulate the color of commercial isotonic beverages (CIB) prepared from artificial pigments. The size of the AOE micelles ranged from 0.15 to 7.60 µm². The color difference (ΔE) was similar for the samples exposed to dark as well as light conditions. The samples subjected to light stress showed pigment degradation after seven days, followed by a decrease in the concentration of astaxanthin; whereas, the samples exposed to dark conditions remained stable for seven days and then showed a decrease in the concentration of astaxanthin (this decrease ranged from 65% to 76% when compared to the initial content) after a period of 91 days. For the astaxanthin oleoresin (AO) and AOE, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values reached 5224 and 1968 µmol of trolox equivalents (TE)/100 g, respectively. When exposed to light conditions, the addition of AOE in the IB led to its rapid degradation, while it remained stable in the samples exposed to the dark conditions.

Effects of Nonthermal Plasma Technology on Functional Food Components

Understanding the impact of nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology on key nutritional and functional food components is of paramount importance for the successful adoption of the technology by industry. NTP technology (NTPT) has demonstrated marked antimicrobial efficacies with good retention of important physical, chemical, sensory, and nutritional parameters for an array of food products. This paper presents the influence of NTPT on selected functional food components with a focus on low-molecular-weight bioactive compounds and vitamins. We discuss the mechanisms of bioactive compound alteration by plasma-reactive species and classify their influence on vitamins and their antioxidant capacities. The impact of NTP on specific bioactive compounds depends both on plasma properties and the food matrix. Induced changes are mainly associated with oxidative degradation and cleavage of double bonds in organic compounds. The effects reported to date are mainly time-dependent increases in the concentrations of polyphenols, vitamin C, or increases in antioxidant activity. Also, improvement in the extraction efficiency of polyphenols is observed. The review highlights future research needs regarding the complex mechanisms of interaction with plasma species. NTP is a novel technology that can both negatively and positively affect the functional components in food.