NOVEL NATURAL HEALTH DRINKS TO ENSURE A HIGHER INTAKE OF PHYTONUTRIENTS

Fruit and vegetable are essential for a healthy diet (1). Many epidemiological investigations suggest that an increased intake of fruit and vegetables provides protection from a number of diseases as CVD, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and stroke. In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) recommend eating at least 400 g of fruit and vegetable a day (2), but their consume in most countries in the world, is below the dietary recommendations (3). In general, in the industrialized areas of the world, the modern lifestyle has encouraged the consumption, away from home, of ready-made meals or quick snacks, where the fresh fruits and vegetables are almost absent. In younger population, this has generated a low propensity to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whereas the consumption of beverages or derivatives of fruits and vegetables are currently growing. The objective of this research was to achieve novel natural drinks composed by mixtures of fresh fruit and fresh vegetable juices, capable of ensuring a higher intake of phytonutrients and good sensory characteristics, which makes them particularly attractive for consumers. The drinks were obtained by using a prototype of a machine bench, properly designed for the Ho.Re.Ca. sector, which has the following characteristics: i) complete automation, ii) convenience and ease of use without having to peel or remove the seeds from the fruit. We analyzed 28 mixtures of fruit and vegetable centrifuged to monitor the changes among the phytochemical and antioxidant profiles of individual components and their mixture. The antioxidant activity was determined by the use of DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP test. RNS (reactive nitrogen species) assay and total phenols by Folin-Ciocalteu method were also performed. HPLC analyses were carried out to determine the concentration of phytochemicals belonging to the classes of phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acids and hydroxycinnamic acids), ellagic acid derivatives, flavonoids (flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavan-3-ols and procyanidins), and anthocyanins (cyanidin and pelargonidin glycosides). The results led to the selection of 10 natural health drinks, characterized by a high antioxidant activity, wealth of phytonutrients as well as sensory characteristics. Between them, the mixture with highest antioxidant activity is formed by strawberry (50%), pomegranate (30%), and golden apple (20%), while the mixture with a higher antioxidant synergy is that constituted by celery (10%), golden apple (10%), and kiwi (70%). These results could be useful for developing functional foods with enhanced antioxidant capacity. References: (1) Liu RH (2013) Health-promoting components of fruit and vegetables in the diet. Adv Nutr 4, 384S-392S. (2)WHO European action plan for food and nutrition 2007-2012 http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/74402/E91153.pdf (3) U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of health and human services http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the- 2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf