Comparison of vitamin C and flavanones between freshly squeezed orange juices and commercial 100% orange juices from four European countries.

Knowing the true levels of nutrients and dietary bioactives in fruit juices at the point of consumption is key to properly understand their potential health benefits. The objective was to characterise the vitamin C and flavanone content in commercial orange juices consumed in Europe, compared with fresh-squeezed juices. Commercial juices were a rich source of vitamin C (>30% of the Nutrient Reference Value). Vitamin C in fresh-squeezed juices, at the end of their shelf-life, remained 33% higher than the levels found in the commercial juices. Flavanones had similar values from both commercial and fresh juices, except for fresh samples stored for 48 h, where fresh juices had higher values (22.36 mg/100 mL). Thus, orange juices preserve their bioactive compounds during storage, with very little influence of the brand, country, industrial process or storage conditions. Main bioactive compounds in commercial juices are present at nutritionally significant levels to the freshly-squeezed ones.

Ifs and buts of non-thermal processing technologies for plant-based drinks' bioactive compounds.

Vegetables and fruits contain a variety of bioactive nutrients and non-nutrients that are associated with health promotion. Consumers currently demand foods with high contents of healthy compounds, as well as preserved natural taste and flavour, minimally processed without using artificial additives. Processing alternatives to be applied on plant-based foodstuffs to obtain beverages are mainly referred to as classical thermal treatments that although are effective treatments to ensure safety and extended shelf-life, also cause undesirable changes in the sensory profiles and phytochemical properties of beverages, thus affecting the overall quality and acceptance by consumers. As a result of these limitations, new non-thermal technologies have been developed for plant-based foods/beverages to enhance the overall quality of these products regarding microbiological safety, sensory traits, and content of bioactive nutrients and non-nutrients during the shelf-life of the product, thus allowing to obtain enhanced health-promoting beverages. Accordingly, the present article attempts to review critically the principal benefits and downsides of the main non-thermal processing alternatives (High hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultraviolet light, and ultrasound) to set up sound comparisons with conventional thermal treatments, providing a vision about their practical application that allows identifying the best choice for the sectoral industry in non-alcoholic fruit and vegetable-based beverages.

Microwave Treatment vs. Conventional Pasteurization: The Effect on Phytochemical and Microbiological Quality for Citrus-Maqui Beverages.

This study uncovered the impacts of microwave (MW) treatments compared to conventional pasteurization (TP) on the quality of functional citrus-maqui beverages, with added sucrose or stevia. The influence of these thermal treatments on the microbiological burden and phytochemical composition was determined by processing under two MW power levels (600 W and 800 W) and TP at 85 °C for 15 s for 60 days at room temperature (20 °C). The results indicated that, beyond the microbiological quality achieved in the juices treated by both MW and TP technology, there were no differences among the treatments regarding the stability of vitamin C, anthocyanin, and flavanone concentrations. However, anthocyanins were more stable in those beverages with sucrose added, rendering a better red color. Besides, all treatments ensured microbiological stability throughout the entire storage time. In conclusion, MW treatment could be considered as an alternative to TP, which ensures microbial safety, protecting functional compounds associated with health effects.

Influence of Sweeteners (Sucrose, Sucralose, and Stevia) on Bioactive Compounds in a Model System Study for Citrus-Maqui Beverages.

Recently, new formulations of beverages with low sugar and high bioactive compound contents are being demanded because of their association with metabolic health. However, the sweeteners' influences on the bioactive compounds remain underexplored. In this sense, this work aims to evaluate the interactions between different bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, vitamin C, and sweeteners (sucrose, stevia, and sucralose) in a functional citrus-maqui beverage. For this purpose, the phytochemical behavior was studied, in model system solutions, during one-month storage at 4 °C. The results obtained corroborated previous descriptions of the interactions between these compounds. However, when studying the bioactives in the model solutions, the loss of flavanones in the citrus solution increased up to 29%, while anthocyanin losses decreased to 27%. The vitamin C losses ranged from 100% (beverage) to 46% (ascorbic acid solution). Regardless, an influence of the sweeteners was observed. Sucrose reduced the anthocyanin and flavanone losses in both model solutions and the beverage, while sucralose increased flavanone loss. Finally, all sweeteners increased vitamin C degradation (up to 75%) when compared to the model solution. In conclusion, sweeteners added to beverages should be taken into account, depending on the bioactive compounds that should be preserved during storage.

High Hydrostatic Pressure vs. Thermal Pasteurization: The Effect on the Bioactive Compound Profile of a Citrus Maqui Beverage.

The effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) compared to thermal pasteurization (TP) were studied in healthy citrus-maqui beverages. The impact of the processing technologies on the microbiological and phytochemical profile was assessed by applying two HHP treatments at 450 and 600 MPa for 180 s and TP at 85 °C for 15 s. The shelf life under refrigeration (4 °C) and room temperature (20 °C) was monitored for 90 days. All treatments ensured microbiological stability at both storage temperatures. Aside from that, the physicochemical parameters were not significantly different after processing or throughout the storage period. Regarding color parameters, an increase in the reddish coloration was observed during storage for those beverages treated by HHP. In general, phenolic compounds were little affected by the processing technique, even when treatment under HHP was more stable than by TP during storage. On the other hand, vitamin C showed great degradation after processing under any condition. It can be concluded that HHP is an effective alternative to thermal treatments, achieving effective microbial inactivation and extending the shelf life of the juices by contributing to a better preservation of color and bioactive compounds.

Stevia vs. Sucrose: Influence on the Phytochemical Content of a Citrus-Maqui Beverage-A Shelf Life Study.

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been related with the risk of cardiovascular diseases and other pathophysiological situations, such as obesity or diabetes mellitus. Given the increasing awareness on this fact, food industries are developing new products to reduce the amount of added sugar in development of food products development. Accordingly, in the present work, new functional beverages, constituting a dietary source of bioactive phenolics and supplemented with stevia or sucrose, were designed in order to study the influence of the sweetener during processing and shelf-life. This study is of critical for the informed selection of the sweetener based on its effect on the final phytochemical profile of beverages, especially taking into consideration that there are no previous studies on Stevia rebaudiana. Physicochemical features and phytochemical composition, as well as stability of the different beverages concerning these parameters, were evaluated for 90 days during storage under different conditions (refrigeration (4 °C) and room temperature (25 °C) under light or darkness conditions). Physicochemical parameters (pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and color) did not display statistically significant differences between beverages. Storage temperature was the greatest determinant affecting the stability of all the analyzed bioactive compounds (vitamin C, anthocyanins, and flavanones). The main difference between sweeteners was observed in flavanones, which exhibited a higher loss during storage under day light conditions when stevia was added instead of sucrose. In addition, the juices' colors were rather stable, keeping a reddish coloration and natural appearance throughout the shelf life. Hence, stevia could be considered as an alternative sweetener by the beverage industry.

New UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS Method for the Rapid and Sensitive Analysis of Ascorbic and Dehydroascorbic Acids in Plant Foods.

A new method using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) methodology was developed for the determination of ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) contents in liquid and solid vegetable samples. The advantages of this method are speed, high sensitivity and practical application. In accordance with these advantages, the present method allows the simultaneous determination of AA and DHAA without previous reduction/derivatization of DHAA and without the use of internal standards in the samples. This is of high interest in routine analysis, providing a simpler sample preparation, as well as enhanced accuracy and robustness. Its validation included selectivity, sensitivity and linearity, precision and accuracy, matrix effect, and recovery. The results showed high selectivity and sensitivity, with calibration curves ranging from 10 to 500 ng mL-1 and from 50 to 500 ng mL-1 for AA and DHAA, respectively. Appropriate dilutions for each sample are necessary to avoid the matrix effect with accepted recoveries.