Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate the color stability of betalain- and anthocyanin-rich extracts in yogurt-like fermented soy, in order to develop a preliminary understanding of how these pigments behave in this type of food system during storage for 21 days at 4 °C. Thus, the extracts of red beetroot, opuntia, hibiscus and red radish were integrated into the yogurt-like fermented soy in two different ways—directly after lyophilization, and encapsulated in nanosystems based in soybean lecithin—as this approach has never been used to further increase the value and potential of the dairy-free alternatives of yogurt-like fermented soy. The results showed that non-encapsulated betalain-rich extracts from red radish are the most promising for coloring yogurt-like fermented soy. However, encapsulated opuntia extracts can also be an alternative to supplement the soy fermented beverages with betalains, without changing significantly the color of the system but giving all its health benefits, due to the protection of the pigments by nanoencapsulation.
Highlights
The increased consciousness about the impacts of production and consumption of food on environmental, health and ethical issues has motivated consumers to increase their interest in replacing animal-based foods in their diets
In order to obtain betalain- and anthocyanin-rich extracts that can be used in food products, namely dairy-free alternatives such as yogurt-like fermented soy, red beetroot, opuntia, hibiscus and red radish were selected as vegetable sources
Starting from hibiscus or red radish, by using water/ethanol/acetic acid (70:29.7:0.3, v/v/v) [38] or water/acetic acid (95:5, v/v) [39], and keeping them at a low temperature (4 ◦ C) for 18 h or 72 h, the lyophilized anthocyanin-rich extracts were obtained
Summary
The increased consciousness about the impacts of production and consumption of food on environmental, health and ethical issues has motivated consumers to increase their interest in replacing animal-based foods in their diets. Issues related to texture properties and general appearance are the major challenges faced by producers of plant-based yogurt alternatives. It is well-known that plant-derived natural pigments, such as betalains, have become popular for use as natural colorants in the food industry [7,8]. They present pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-lipidemic and antimicrobial activities [9,10]. Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) [11,12,13,14,15,16,17] and opuntia (Opuntia stricta) [18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27], natural sources of betalains, possess the
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