Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2
Written by Oana HERA, Elena PĂDUROIU (BUNDĂ), Ioana Teodora MĂRGĂRITESCU, Loredana Elena VÎJAN
Highbush blueberry is a popular berry with an attractive flavour and colour. It provides health benefits due to an important number of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antitumor, antimutagenic, and antidiabetic effects, as well as to its ability to prevent cardiovascular disease. Blueberry juice is one of the most widespread blueberry products and it is demanded by consumers since it is tasty and it preserves most of the nutrients. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the blueberry fruits and juice of some cultivars grown at the Research Institute for Fruit Growing Piteşti - Mărăcineni, Romania. Since heat processing affects the nutritional and sensory properties, blueberry juices have been prepared by cold pressing the fruit. In order to inhibit the development of the fermentation microbiota and improve the organoleptic characteristics of blueberry juices, the samples of each juice were prepared in a 1:1 (w:w) mixture with acacia honey. Total tannin content (TTC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were periodically determined for all juices. The results revealed very significant effects of the three factors (genotype, storage period and sweetener) on TTC and TFC, with acacia honey showing the lowest effect size.
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