Beverages, Volume 8, Issue 2 (June 2022) – 19 articles

The health benefits of fruit juices have been associated with their high content of antioxidant compounds. Commercial juice has been traditionally heat-processed to destroy microorganisms and enzymes. However, high temperatures induce undesirable changes in the nutritional value of the juice. High-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) are being studied as an alternative to heat treatments. In addition, in vitro and in vivo methods have been recommended to determine the antioxidant potential of juices in a complementary manner. Thus, the antioxidant activity of untreated, high-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) or heat-treated fruit juices (tomato, apple, pineapple and orange) was studied using in vitro (TEAC, DPPH, FRAP and Folin-Ciocalteu) and in vivo assays (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Vitamin C and total phenolic compounds in these juices were determined. The highest antioxidant activities (12.01 mmol of Trolox/L) were obtained through the Folin-Ciocalteu assay in orange juices. The lowest values (0.119 mmol of Trolox/L) were found in apple juice analysed by the FRAP assay. Vitamin C content varied from 10 mg/L (orange juice) to 344 mg/L (orange juice). The highest concentration of total phenolic compounds was determined in orange juice (1238 mg/L), whereas the lowest value was found in tomato juices (149 mg/L). The effect of HIPEF and thermal processing on the antioxidant potential of juices depended on the fruits used to prepare the juices and the antioxidant activity assay conducted. Vitamin C concentration was directly related to the antioxidant activity analysed by Folin-Ciocalteu and FRAP methods and the S. cerevisiae growth rate. S. cerevisiae yeast can be used as a feasible in vivo assay to further determine the antioxidant activity of fruit juices. Full article

Beer is one of the most widely consumed beverages containing up to 200,000 unique small molecules and a largely uncharacterized macromolecular and particulate space. The chemical profiling of beer is difficult due to its complex nature. To address this issue, we have used various state-of-the-art methods to determine the physicochemical characteristics of beer. Specifically, we have successfully generated an LC-MS-based molecular network with minimal sample preparation to profile indoles in beer and confirmed their presence using ¹H-NMR. In addition, we have identified different macromolecular signatures in beer of different colors by utilizing AF4-MALS. These preliminary findings lay the foundation for further research on the physicochemical nature of beer. Full article

Cold extraction methods with ethanol applied to the flavedo of Citrus fruits have been commonly applied for the preparation of several liquors. In order to obtain the extraction optimization and then the best ratio of functional ingredients in the extract, the flavedo of Citrus grandis Osbeck (pummelo) was subjected to a maceration with absolute ethanol at room temperature as well as at 40 °C. The kinetics of the extraction methods were monitored by UV–VIS spectroscopy, and a chemical fingerprint characteristic of each extract was determined by statistical multivariate analysis of the UV–VIS raw data. Additionally, the extracts were qualitatively characterized by NMR spectroscopy as well as by solid phase micro extraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). NMR analysis confirmed the presence of the typical flavanones of Citrus such as naringin and naringenin, while the GC/MS analysis showed that the headspace of the liquor is characterized by two main compounds represented by β-myrcene and limonene. At the end, the temperature seems to not affect the time of extraction, which is complete after 25 h; however, UV–VIS-based multivariate analysis revealed that a different overall chemical composition is obtained depending on the temperature, probably due to the extraction of minor chemicals as well as due to different levels of the same compounds in the two extracts. Full article

Recent social, economic, and technological evolutions have impacted consumption habits. The new consumer is more rational, more connected and demanding with products, more concerned with the management of the family budget, with the health, origin, and sustainability of food. The food industry over the last few years has shown remarkable technological and scientific evolution, with an impact on the development and innovation of new products using non-thermal processing. Non-thermal processing technologies involve methods by which fruit juices receive microbiological inactivation and enzymatic denaturation with or without the direct application of low heat, thereby lessening the adverse effects on the nutritional, bioactive, and flavor compounds of the treated fruit juices, extending their shelf-life. The recognition of the nutritional and protective values of fruit juices and fermented fruit beverages is evident and is attributed to the presence of different bioactive compounds, protecting against chronic and metabolic diseases. Fermentation maintains the fruit's safety, nutrition, and shelf life and the development of new products. This review aims to summarize the chemical and sensory characteristics of fruit juices and fermented fruit drinks, the fermentation process, its benefits, and its effects. Full article

Most beverages are complex matrices. Different taste compounds within these matrices interact, and thus affect the perception of the tastes. Sweetness and sourness have generally been known to suppress each other, but often such investigations have focused on aqueous solutions. Investigations into what happens when these known interactions are transferred to more complex solutions are scarce. In this study, we investigated the differences in taste interactions between an aqueous matrix and a cold-brewed coffee matrix. Two sub-studies were conducted. In one, six aqueous samples were evaluated by 152 naïve consumers; in the other six cold-brewed coffee samples were evaluated by 115 naïve consumers. In both studies participants tasted samples with no addition or with addition of either sucrose, citric acid, tartaric acid, or a mix of sucrose and either of the acids. Results showed that the sweetness of sucrose was suppressed by both citric acid and tartaric acid in both matrices. The sourness of both citric acid and tartaric acid was suppressed in the aqueous matrix, but only the sourness of tartaric was suppressed in the coffee matrix. Generally, the suppression was lower in the coffee matrix compared to the aqueous matrix. In conclusion, results from taste interaction studies conducted on aqueous matrices can to some extent, with caution, be interpolated to more complex matrices. Importantly, suppression effects might diminish with an increase in matrix complexity. Full article

Bentonite is a natural clay that is used in different industries as a desiccant, ion-exchange material, or additive to remove impurities. For example, marketed as healing clay and as protein-fining agent in wine, bentonite is expected to adsorb specific compounds while having no negative effects on the quality of the product in which it is used. In this study, 34 commercially available bentonites for different applications were selected and analyzed for their elemental composition, extraction of heavy metals, swelling behavior, and protein removal rate under conditions relevant to wine. The results indicate that bentonites can have a very variable composition that does not correlate with the intended use. The extraction of heavy metals is not directly related to the raw material and depends on swelling behavior and surface area of the clay. Interestingly, there is a similar degree of variability in swelling behavior among wine bentonites as there is for healing clays. This correlates with the protein removal rate but also with the extraction of iron, a transition metal that is known for its catalytic activity for oxidation reactions. Even though the protein removal rate is much higher than for other clays, bentonites that are marketed for wine show an extraction behavior that can have a negative effect on the final product. Full article

Differentiating agricultural products has been adopted as a strategy to improve farm profitability and thereby business sustainability. This study aimed to evaluate unique barley varieties for craft malting and brewing markets to enhance profitability for diversified grain growers in southwestern Washington. Advanced barley breeding lines from Washington State University (WSU) were compared to a control variety (CDC-Copeland) through field trials, experimental and commercial malting conditions, and consumer sensory evaluation. The beers differed only by the genotype-dependent malt. Malting conditions (experimental or commercial) and field replicate influenced five out of the eight malt quality traits measured, while genotype influenced seven out of eight of the traits. Consumers differentiated the beers through ranking, open description, and check all that apply during a central location test. Based on consumer liking, breeding lines 12WA_120.14 or 12WA_120.17 could replace CDC-Copeland in beers. A total of 83% of consumers responded that they would pay more for a beer if it would support local farmers. This value proposition represents an opportunity for consumer purchasing to support producers, who form the foundation of the craft malt and beer value chain and whose economic success will determine the sustainability of small farms in minor growing regions. We provide further evidence for the contributions of barley genotype to beer flavor, while tracing the impact of barley genotype from ground to glass. Full article

Nitrogen nutrition is one of the most effective cultural practices in vineyards. The vine nitrogen status influences the berries’ quality characteristics and the produced wines. The current study investigated the effect of traditional nitrogen fertilization in the form of ammonium sulfate compared to nitrogen fertilization coupled with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on the agronomic characteristics of grapes and the produced wines of the white variety Savvatiano from a productive vineyard in the Attiki region. Must and wine quality was evaluated by a chemical analysis and sensorial evaluation by trained panelists. The different forms of nitrogen fertilizers did not significantly affect the aroma and sensory profile in contrast to unfertilized grapevines. In addition, the applied fertilization increased some important aroma compounds in the wine, compared to no fertilization. The significance of this work is to add information about the effect of nitrogen fertilization on the wine volatile composition of the Greek white grapevine Savvatiano. Full article

The coffee extraction methods modify the structure of the foam (when it is present) and the sensory profile of the beverage. In this research, three ways of extracting and two varieties of 100% Arabica were compared. Nineteen bars and fifteen bars were applied to the coffee thanks to the use of compatible capsules and machines. The method with the moka was considered, which acts at low pressures and does not allow the formation of foam (crema). In addition, the Brazil and Guatemala Arabica varieties were considered to understand the extent to which Arabica coffee can respond in structural and sensorial terms to the extraction techniques applied. The results show that 19-bar espresso coffees have a very stable crema with very small bubbles, which give a uniform and fine structure to the coffee crema. On the contrary, the pressure at 15 bars generates more unstable foams and bubbles that tend to be disproportionate, with more marked effects in the Brazil variety. The sensory profiles of the coffees respond to the extraction techniques applied. While the coffee extracted with the moka has sensory descriptors with rather low values, those obtained at 19 and 15 bars have much wider profiles. In conclusion, different pressure intensities to the coffee extraction affect the quality of crema and the solubilization of organoleptically active compounds. Full article

Wine label information is an important aid for consumers in making purchase decisions. However, the influence of label information types in the context of sparkling wines is poorly understood, despite the global growth of this product class. Using an online survey of 576 Ontario sparkling wine consumers, we sought to examine this knowledge gap using two complementary approaches. First, participants were presented with a set of two mock sparkling wine labels, selected at random, from a set of eight conditions. One condition (control) contained all seven of the information types previously identified (endorsements, parentage, attributes, target end use, target end user, manufacture, nonpareil), whereas the other seven omitted one of each of these elements. Respondents then rated their willingness to buy, willingness to pay, and the perception of quality. Lastly, they self-rated the importance placed on 14 different label information statements when purchasing sparkling wine (5-point Likert scale from 1–not at all important to 5–extremely important). Results show that including a description of the wine’s sensory attributes on sparkling wine labels is important to consumers overall, except for those with a high subjective knowledge of sparkling wine, and those who normally spend more than CAD 30 per bottle, as these groups are more willing to buy, willing to pay, and rate their perception of quality higher for labels that do not include attribute information. Grape variety/blend and production region information are rated high in importance. Alcohol content is more important to young consumers and those who prefer Prosecco-style sparkling wines, whereas vintage/year is more important to consumers who prefer Champagne-style sparkling wines. Expert endorsements are rated low in importance, and younger consumers are more willing to buy sparkling wine with the endorsement information removed. We conclude that sparkling wine label information content should be optimised for different market segments and consumer characteristics. This study provides important insights that can guide sparkling wine marketers and retailers in this process. Full article

Consumers’ demand for ‘healthy’ food is growing at a fast pace. Beverages are one of the fastest-growing segments in the healthy food market. Kombucha is a product with a rapid market growth and is considered a ‘healthy beverage’. Kombucha drinkers (n = 296) in the contiguous United States (U.S.) were targeted to investigate differences in the various consumer segments regarding the healthy eater’s behavior, namely—(1) healthy diet stage-of-change attitudes, (2) healthy eating criteria, and (3) label information usage. An online survey questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The data were analyzed via chi-square tests and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). The majority of kombucha consumers were health-conscious and kombucha fitted into their view of a healthy diet. The female, older, western U.S. residents, and higher-educated consumers were more likely to take action and maintain a healthier diet. Healthy eaters’ idea of a healthy diet was very similar to that of the general population. Kombucha consumers focused mainly on sugar/calories and natural/organic ingredients. Additional investigations to expand the understanding of the healthy eater’s behavior with actual kombucha samples are needed in the future. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the differences in physicochemical properties, antioxidant properties, and rheology between guava nectar with sucrose and guava nectar with neotame and stevia addition (0.01% and 0.05%). All parameters were investigated during refrigerated storage at 4 °C for 15 days. The result showed that all sweetened guava juice samples led to the juice with the greatest presence of overall appearance and antioxidant property. The flow behavior of sweetened guava juice was shear-thinning which was not different from guava juice without sweetener. However, the major volatile flavor compounds identified in all guava juice samples were β-caryophyllene, α-caryophyllene, bisabolene, aromadendrene, α-humulene, and nerolidol, which is not different from guava juice without sweeteners during storage. It indicated that stevia and neotame are good alternative sweeteners to produce low caloric juice production. Full article

Wildfires produce smoke, which can then encounter wine grapes, causing the fruit to absorb smoke-related volatile organic compounds. These compounds impact the sensorial profiles of the resulting wines, introducing an uncharacteristic smokey flavor and ashy finish. Since these off-flavor attributes are observed to have longer-lasting perception, a proper inter-stimulus protocol is necessary to ensure an accurate sensory analysis. Previous work has indicated that a 1 g/L pectin rinse with 120 s of separation is effective for clearing the smoke flavor to mitigate potential carryover effects. The purpose of this work was to determine if there was a more efficient rinsing protocol to lessen the time taken between samples. By using wines with various levels of smoke exposure (high, moderate, and none), the efficacy of four different rinse systems were evaluated with a fixed-time-point evaluation system. These results indicate that a 4 g/L glucose solution is more efficient than pectin, requiring only 90 s of separation to clear smoke flavor perception. Additionally, this work identified appropriate references for the retronasal attributes associated with smoke taint in wine. These results can be used to guide a sensory analysis of wildfire-affected wines to ensure effective and accurate results. Full article

Gyokuro is a style of Japanese green tea produced by employing agricultural shading in the weeks before harvest. This method results in a tea product with different organoleptic and chemical properties than common Japanese green tea. In an effort to yield the highest quality and commercially valuable green tea product, the present study explores the influence of shading treatments and the duration of shading on the natural biochemistry of the green tea plant. This study applied shading treatments at light intensity conditions of 40%, 16%, 10% and 1% of available ambient light and the application of a red-colored shade cloth of 60% opacity. The Quality Index Tool was used to measure the quality and commercial value of the green tea, using individual target constituents (theanine, caffeine and the catechins) quantified from HPLC analysis. This study shows that very high levels of total visible spectrum light shading (~99%) is required to achieve improvements in quality and commercial value. Specifically, this improvement is a direct result of changes in the mood- modifying bioactive metabolites theanine and caffeine. This study concludes that in green tea growing regions with more hours of sunlight per year, such as on the Central Coast of Australia, more intense shading will achieve products with improved quality and commercial value, which has more potential to be marketed as a functional ingredient. Full article

Much attention has recently been paid to β-Galactosidases (β-D-galactoside galactohidrolase; EC 3.2.1.23), commonly known as lactases, due to the lactose intolerance of the human population and the importance of dairy products in the human diet. This enzyme, produced by microorganisms, is being used in the dairy industry for hydrolyzing the lactose found in milk to produce lactose-free milk (LFM). Conventionally, β-galactosidases catalyze the hydrolysis of lactose to produce glucose and galactose in LFM; however, they can also catalyze transgalactosylation reactions that produce a wide range of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which are functional prebiotic molecules that confer health benefits to human health. In this field, different works aims to identify novel microbial sources of β-galactosidase for removing lactose from milk with the relative GOS production. Lactase extracted from thermophilic microorganisms seems to be more suitable for the transgalactosylation process at relatively high temperatures, as it inhibits microbial contamination. Different immobilization methods, such as adsorption, covalent attachment, chemical aggregation, entrapment and micro-encapsulation, have been used to synthesize lactose-derived oligosaccharides with immobilized β-galactosidases. In this mini-review, particular emphasis has been given to the immobilization techniques and bioreactor configurations developed for GOS synthesis in milk, in order to provide a more detailed overview of the biocatalytic production of milk oligosaccharides at industrial level. Full article

Fruit spirit distillations processes are based on physical principles of heat and mass transfer. These principles are decisive for the separation of desired and undesired aroma compounds, which affect the quality of the distilled product. It is mandatory to control heat and mass transfer parameters to be able to perform fruit spirit distillation processes in a reproducible manner and to achieve equal products with similar volatile compound compositions repeatedly. Up to now, only limited information is available on the magnitude of reproducibility errors since fruit spirit distillation columns are typically not equipped with a suitable control or monitoring technique. We upgraded a batch distillation column with digitized instrumentation and a control technique to be able to control crucial parameters such as thermal energy inputs and reflux rates. This study aimed to identify whether control over two distillation parameters has the potential to enable us to perform distillation processes repeatedly. This study analyzed the magnitude of reproducibility errors for (i) six monitored distillation process parameters and (ii) 13 quantified volatile compounds in the product between duplicated distillation runs performed with equal setups. A total of eight different distillations were performed in duplicate (n = 16), while the six distillation parameters were monitored and logged every ten seconds. The produced distillates were equally subsampled into 20 fractions and each fraction analyzed for 13 volatile compound concentrations. Based on a dataset of 28,600 monitored duplicate distillation process data points, this study showed that process parameters can indeed be replicated with a median relative standard deviation (RSD) of <0.1% to 7% when two crucial process parameters are controlled. The comparison of 1540 volatile compound concentrations in the product fractions showed a reproducibility error with an average median RSD of 9 ± 8%. This illustrated that by gaining control over thermal energy input and reflux rates, the reproducibility of fruit spirit distillation processes and their associated products can largely be met. It is advisable to equip distillation columns with a suitable control technique to be able to reproduce the performance of fruit spirit distillations. Full article

In this study, pulsed electric fields (PEFs) were evaluated as extraction-aiding technology during soymilk manufacturing to improve its isoflavone profile. Low-intensity PEFs were applied at different processing conditions in two stages of the soymilk extraction process, hydrated soybeans (HSB) and soybean slurry (SBS), with the soymilk extracted from the conventional process as control (CSM). Overall, resultant soymilk samples from PEF-HSB and PEF-SBS presented lower concentrations of glucosides isoflavones and greater aglycone content than those in CSM. In contrast to genistin (Gin) and daidzin (Din), which decreased around 18.5–52.6% and 10.9–54.6%, respectively, an increase in genistein (Ge, 12.3–64.4%) and daidzein (Da, 9–55.8%) was observed. The total isoflavone content (TIC) of most soymilk samples prepared from PEF-HSB was lower than that of the CSM. Conversely, when PEF-SBS was used, the TIC of resultant soymilk was not significantly affected or slightly decreased. However, PEF treated HSB at 10 kVcm⁻¹/100 pulses and SBS at 6 kVcm⁻¹/10 pulses led to a significant augment in TIC, of up to 109 ± 2.39 and 110 ± 1.26 μg/g, respectively, in the extracted soymilk samples. These results indicated that low-intensity PEF is a potential technology that could be implemented during soymilk manufacturing processing to modify the isoflavone profile and content of soymilk, mainly increasing its aglycone concentration. Full article

Tea contains about 230 chemical bioactive compounds, of which polyphenols represent the most considerable fraction (30% of total dry weight). These compounds have relevant nutritional and pharmacological effects on human health, exerting antioxidant activities against oxidative stress-induced damage. The industrial processes applied in tea production can lead to qualitative and quantitative changes in the phenolic content and composition and in antioxidant properties, thus influencing their potential biological activities. Meanwhile, the procedure for tea preparation may influence the quantity of the extracted phenolic compounds. In this study, the effects of different infusion parameters, such as the water type used for infusion (tap water, distilled water, and natural mineral water), time (3, 5, and 10 min), temperature (T = 80 °C and 100 °C), and pH (ranged between 3 and 9) were considered. The optimal infusion variables resulting from the study were obtained by extracting phenolic compounds at T = 100 °C for 10 min, both for green (916.12–1169.81 mg GAE/g) and black (932.03–1126.62 mg GAE/g) bagged tea samples, respectively. Full article