Relationship between carbohydrate composition and fungal deterioration of functional strawberry juices preserved using non-thermal treatments

CASSANI, LUCÍA; QUINTANA, GABRIEL; MOREIRA, MARÍA R; GÓMEZ-ZAVAGLIA, ANDREA

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD

Año: 2018 vol. 98 p. 3271 - 3279

0022-5142

BACKGROUND: The quantification of the main carbohydrates present in strawberry juices enriched with inulin andfructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and preserved by non-thermal techniques (vanillin and ultrasound) was conducted, in additionto an investigation of the evolution of these compounds and their relationship with fungal deterioration over 14 days ofrefrigerated storage.RESULTS: A simple and environmentally friendly analytical approach based on high-performance liquid chromatography witha reflection index detector was developed for simultaneous determination of inulin, FOS and mono- and disaccharides presentin the juices. When analyzing the evolution of carbohydrates during storage, a direct relationship between the consumption ofsucrose and the growth of yeasts and molds (main spoilage flora in strawberry) was observed, especially in untreated samples(control). By contrast, no sucrose consumption was observed during storage of the treated sample, thus demonstrating theefficiency of the non-thermal treatments for controlling yeasts and mold growth. In turn, inulin and FOS added to juices werenot degraded during storage.CONCLUSION: The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that non-thermal treatments are adequate for preventingthe growth of deteriorative flora in strawberry juices and that the addition of inulin and FOS can be a good strategy forfunctionalizing them, as well as improving their nutritional properties.