New Freeze-Dried Andean Blueberry Juice Powders for Potential Application as Functional Food Ingredients: Effect of Maltodextrin on Bioactive and Morphological Features.

Mauren Estupiñan-Amaya,Carlos Alberto Fuenmayor,Alex López-Córdoba

doi:10.3390/molecules25235635

Abstract

Andean blueberry (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz) fruits are an underutilized source of anthocyanins and other valuable bioactive phytochemicals. The purpose of this work was to obtain Andean blueberry juice powders via freeze-drying processing and evaluate the effect of maltodextrin as a drying aid on their physicochemical, technological, microstructural, and bioactive characteristics. Andean blueberry juices were mixed with variable proportions of maltodextrin (20–50%); freeze-dried; and characterized in terms of their tristimulus color, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), moisture content, water activity, morphology, water solubility, flow properties, total polyphenols and anthocyanins content, and DPPH•-scavenging capacity. The powders obtained presented suitable characteristics in terms of their water activity (<0.5), solubility (>90%), and bioactive compound recovery (>70% for total phenolics, and >60% for total monomeric anthocyanins), with antioxidant activities up to 4 mg equivalent of gallic acid/g of dry matter. Although an increased content of maltodextrin resulted in lower concentrations of phytochemicals, as expected, it also favored an increased % recovery (over 90% of total phenolics at the highest maltodextrin proportion) and improved their flow properties. Freeze-dried juice powders are a potential alternative for the stabilization and value addition of this fruit as a new source of functionality for processed foods.

Highlights

The use of natural ingredients has received widespread attention in recent years due to its high demand in different industrial fields such as food, pharmaceutics, and cosmetics [1]
The physicochemical properties of the Andean blueberry juice used in this work are presented in Molecules 2020, 25, x FOR PEER REVIEW
The composition of berry fruits and juices depends on the cultivar, maturity blueberry could be more variable because it grows as a wild shrub

Summary

Introduction

The use of natural ingredients has received widespread attention in recent years due to its high demand in different industrial fields such as food, pharmaceutics, and cosmetics [1]. In the food industry there is a growing interest in the extraction, characterization, and stabilization of new natural ingredients that can be further incorporated into functional foods. The genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae) comprises about 450 species, known for their high content of phytochemicals [2]. Andean blueberry (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz) is a wild shrub with few commercial exploitations that grows in the Andean region of South America at 2300–3300 m above sea level (m.a.s.l.) [3]. Several studies have reported that Andean blueberry fruits are a rich source of bioactive compounds, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which have been associated with antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties [4,5,6].

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