Abstract
High content of citric acid in lemon juice leads to poor sensory experience. The study aimed to investigate the dynamics changes in organic acids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities of lemon juice fermented with Issatchenkia terricola WJL-G4. The sensory evaluation of fermented lemon juice was conducted as well. Issatchenkia terricola WJL-G4 exhibited a potent capability of reducing the contents of citric acid (from 51.46 ± 0.11 g/L to 8.09 ± 0.05 g/L within 60 h fermentation) and increasing total phenolic level, flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activities compared to those of unfermented lemon juice. A total of 20 bioactive substances, including 10 phenolic acids and 10 flavonoid compounds, were detected both in fermented and unfermented lemon juice. The lemon juice fermented for 48 h had better sensory characteristics. Our findings demonstrated that lemon juice fermented with Issatchenkia terricola exhibited reduced citric acid contents, increased levels of health-promoting phenolic compounds, and enhanced antioxidant activities.
Highlights
Lemons, a small evergreen perennial tree of the genus Citrus in the family Rutaceae, are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions such as Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Australia, and the United States
The results provided information on the kinetics of changes in the content of organic acids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities during 60 h fermentation
At the end of fermentation, the citric acid contents of lemon juice decreased from 51.46 ± 0.11 g/L to 8.09 ± 0.05 g/L, with an acid reduction rate of 84.28%
Summary
A small evergreen perennial tree of the genus Citrus in the family Rutaceae, are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions such as Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Australia, and the United States. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) [1], the total annual production of lemons and limes in China reached 2.330 million tons, ranking third in the world. China has a long history of lemon cultivation, which is mainly distributed in Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Taiwan (www.atlasbig.com “World’s top Lemon producing Countries”, accessed on 27 October 2021). Lemon fruits are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds [2] such as vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and essential oils [3]. Lemon juice is one of the major processed products of lemon fruits [8]. The yeast with the ability to degrade
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