The Development and Consumer Acceptance of Functional Fruit-Herbal Beverages.

Sylwia Skąpska,Krystian Marszałek,Łukasz Woźniak,Joanna Danielczuk,Justyna Szczepańska,Katarzyna Zawada

doi:10.3390/foods9121819

Sylwia Skąpska, Krystian Marszałek + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9121819

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Abstract

The development of functional beverages often requires a compromise between the palatability and high content of bio-active compounds. The purpose of this study was to elaborate on the fruit-herbal beverages with defined pro-health functions and evaluate their consumer acceptance. The beverages contained 80% of juices obtained from the fruits of aronia, rugosa rose, acerola, sea buckthorn, and cranberry. Each beverage was supplemented with different plant extracts which enhanced the designed functions of the beverage. The beverages were sweetened with sugar or with steviol glycosides, and were preserved by thermal pasteurization. The main groups of bio-active compounds and antioxidant capacity using ABTS, DPPH, and ORAC methods were analysed before and after pasteurization. The sensory acceptance was tested by 60 adult consumers who assessed the desirability of taste, odour, colour, and overall quality. Each beverage contained substantial amounts of polyphenols, including anthocyanins; rosehip-acerola and sea buckthorn beverages were also sources of vitamin C and carotenoids. All these components were stable under thermal treatment. Rosehip-acerola beverages had the highest antioxidant capacity, which was measured using all three methods exhibited. The highest level of consumer acceptance and willingness to purchase went to aronia beverages, while the sea buckthorn gained the lowest. There was no significant difference between the acceptance of beverages sweetened with sugar and stevia. Women and the 25- to 34-year-old consumer group rated the overall acceptability of the beverages slightly higher, although this was not reflected in their inclination to buy them. Attitude toward proper body mass and health had no influence on overall acceptance and willingness to complete the purchases. The main motivation for purchasing the functional beverages was their sensory acceptance, even if the consumers were informed of their potential health benefits.

Highlights

Among the many fruits of exceptional nutritional and pro-health values—the so-called superfruits—special attention should be paid to the aronia (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.), sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.), rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thumb.), acerola (Malpighia glabra L.), and cranberry (Oxycoccus palustris Pers., Vaccinium oxycoccus L.).All these fruits are rich sources of natural phenolic antioxidants; rosa rugosa, acerola, and sea buckthorn contain high amounts of vitamin C, while rosehip, acerola, and seaFoods 2020, 9, 1819; doi:10.3390/foods9121819 www.mdpi.com/journal/foodsFoods 2020, 9, 1819 buckthorn have high amounts of carotenoids
The anti-inflammatory properties of galactolipids from rosehip are used in rheumatoid arthritis therapy and to support joint health [12]; aronia’s anthocyanins positively affect eyesight, and they have an anticoagulant effect, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, and lower blood pressure [3,11]; the lipids present in sea buckthorn fruits contain bio-active tocopherols, carotenoids, and unsaturated fatty acids [13,14,15]; acerola is the richest source of vitamin C among all known fruits [16]; and cranberries are known for their ability to prevent and heal inflammation of the urinary tract [17]
The dietary version contained no added sugar, which was replaced by a sensory equivalent amount of steviol glycoside

Summary

Introduction

Among the many fruits of exceptional nutritional and pro-health values—the so-called superfruits—special attention should be paid to the aronia (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.), sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.), rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thumb.), acerola (Malpighia glabra L.), and cranberry (Oxycoccus palustris Pers., Vaccinium oxycoccus L.).All these fruits are rich sources of natural phenolic antioxidants; rosa rugosa, acerola, and sea buckthorn contain high amounts of vitamin C, while rosehip, acerola, and seaFoods 2020, 9, 1819; doi:10.3390/foods9121819 www.mdpi.com/journal/foodsFoods 2020, 9, 1819 buckthorn have high amounts of carotenoids. Among the many fruits of exceptional nutritional and pro-health values—the so-called superfruits—special attention should be paid to the aronia (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.), sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.), rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thumb.), acerola (Malpighia glabra L.), and cranberry (Oxycoccus palustris Pers., Vaccinium oxycoccus L.). All these fruits are rich sources of natural phenolic antioxidants; rosa rugosa, acerola, and sea buckthorn contain high amounts of vitamin C, while rosehip, acerola, and sea. The anti-inflammatory properties of galactolipids from rosehip are used in rheumatoid arthritis therapy and to support joint health [12]; aronia’s anthocyanins positively affect eyesight, and they have an anticoagulant effect, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, and lower blood pressure [3,11]; the lipids present in sea buckthorn fruits contain bio-active tocopherols, carotenoids, and unsaturated fatty acids [13,14,15]; acerola is the richest source of vitamin C among all known fruits [16]; and cranberries are known for their ability to prevent and heal inflammation of the urinary tract [17].

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