Volatile profile of sour cherry puree as affected by sucrose and trehalose

The Effect of Crataegus Fruit Pre-Treatment and Preservation Methods on the Extractability of Aroma Compounds during Liqueur Production

The leaves, inflorescences, and fruits of hawthorn have long been known for their therapeutic properties. A wide range of hawthorn products, including liqueurs, are manufactured, due to the technological potential of the raw material as well as the richness of its volatile compounds. This study aimed to determine the effect of the liqueur production method and various methods of fruit preservation on the quantitative and qualitative composition of volatile compounds in the liqueurs produced. Hawthorn fruits saturated with sucrose and non-saturated with sucrose, fresh or preserved through one of three methods: freezing, air-drying, and freeze-drying, were used for liqueur preparation. The samples were analyzed using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. They were found to contain 54 volatile compounds classified into 12 groups of chemicals. All 54 identified volatile compounds were detected in the liqueur made from hawthorn fruits non-saturated with sucrose and preserved by freeze-drying. In this liqueur type, 12 of the identified volatile compounds occurred in the highest concentration when compared to the other treatments. Among all volatiles, the following compounds were present in the analyzed liqueurs in the highest concentrations: dodecanoic acid ethyl ester (11.782 g/100 g), lactones (6.954 g/100 g), five monoterpenes (3.18 g/100 g), two aromatic hydrocarbons (1.293 g/100 g), isobensofuran (0.67 g/100 g), alcohol-2-methyl-2-propanol (0.059 g/100 g), and malonic ester (0.055 g/100 g). Among all analyzed liqueurs, the one made from the fruits non-saturated with sucrose and frozen was characterized by the smallest diversity of volatiles, which were present in the lowest concentrations in that liqueur.

Maximizing Contents of Phytochemicals Obtained from Dried Sour Cherries by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction

Sour cherries were first dried by vacuum drying and then used as material for obtaining extracts rich in bioactive compounds by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The first step was to apply a factorial design for the preliminary experiments to determine the most influential UAE factors, and thus the three studied parameters were chosen as the most suitable for the design of the main experiment (temperature, liquid–solid ratio and ethanol concentration). In this part, the contents of total phenols and the total content of monomeric anthocyanins were taken for responses. For the further optimization of UAE, experimental design (face-centered) was applied, and the yield, total phenolics, flavonoid content and content of monomeric anthocyanins and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays) were analyzed. Temperature (40–80 °C), ethanol concentration (40–80%, w/w) and liquid–solid ratio (10–30 mL/g) were investigated as independent variables. The obtained experimental results were fitted to a second-order polynomial model and analysis of variance was used to determine the fit of the model and the optimal conditions for investigated responses. High quality extracts with high concentrations of polyphenols and anthocyanins were also obtained, which could be used as food additives.

Volatiles and Antioxidant Activity of Citrus Fiber/Blackberry Gels: Influence of Sucrose and Trehalose

Citrus fiber/blackberry gels (CBg) can be used for the preparation of various bakery products as well as confectioneries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the type of disaccharides (sucrose or trehalose) and their percentages (10% or 20%) on volatile compounds as well as phenolics, antioxidant activity and color of formulated CBg. Additionally, CBg were stored at room temperature for 3 months to evaluate their stability. Both disaccharides type and their percentage affected the investigated parameters. Sucrose had a higher positive impact on volatiles after formulation and storage of CBg, while trehalose had a higher positive impact on total phenolics. Amounts of phenolics increased with the increase of disaccharides amount, while the behavior of volatiles also depended on volatiles' properties. Results of this study emphasized the importance of the adequate choice of ingredients for the formulation of high-quality fruit products.

Cellulose as a Delivery System of Raspberry Juice Volatiles and Their Stability

Formulation of delivery systems for active ingredients is of increasing importance for the food industry. For that purpose, we selected cellulose as a carrier polymer of raspberry volatiles. Freeze-dried cellulose/raspberry complexes were prepared by complexation of raspberry juice (constant amount) and cellulose (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%). In our study, cellulose was shown as a good carrier of raspberry juice volatiles. Thirty-nine volatiles were detected in raspberry juice while 11 of them were lost during preparation of the complexes. Berry flavor note was the dominant one in raspberry juice (40% of overall flavor), followed by citrus and woody notes (each around 18% of overall flavor) and floral, fruity, and green (each around 8% of overall flavor). Cellulose/raspberry complexes had different flavor profiles, but a berry flavor note was still the dominant one in all complexes. These results suggest an efficient plant-based approach to produce value-added cellulose/volatile dry complexes with possible utility as food flavoring ingredients.