Chokeberry Pomace Utilization for Improving Selected Quality Parameters of Green Tea Leaves or Hibiscus Flower Infusions

Abstract

The utilization of food industrial by-products, especially pomace after juice processing, could be a big challenge. Chokeberry pomace is a valuable source of phenolic compounds, including procyanidins and anthocyanins. These compounds have, e.g., antioxidant, anticancer, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, hepatoprotective and cardioprotective effects. In this work, dried chokeberry pomace (2.0 g, 2.5 g and 3.0 g) was added to green tea leaves or white or red hibiscus flowers (0.5 g of each) to obtain mixtures for preparing infusions. Such products could be a valuable source of bioactive compounds. After brewing and cooling, selected quality parameters of the obtained infusions were tested: pH, total phenolic content (TPC), anthocyanin content and the instrumentally and sensorily determined color. The composition of the infusion had an impact on the color. Those from a mixture of chokeberry by-products and hibiscus possessed lower L* and higher a* and b* values than those composed of chokeberry and green tea leaves. Infusions prepared from the mixture containing dried chokeberry pomace (3.0 g) and green tea leaves (0.5 g) had a higher content of anthocyanins (17%) and phenols (48%), respectively, than other samples with the same proportions of ingredients. According to PCA analysis, the highest content of the tested bioactive compounds was obtained in infusions of green tea leaves with the addition of chokeberry pomace.

Health-promoting Properties Infusions of Hibiscus Flowers and Selected Berry Fruit Processing By-products

“…Considering all parameters, it can be concluded that the colour of the hibiscus flowers infusion was significantly darker than that of the other infusions and exhibited the highest intensity. In the study by Kidoń et al (2023), the L* parameter for the hibiscus infusion was 84.6. The yellow hue content in the solution colour was also comparable, with the b* parameter at 4.2.…”

Blackcurrant Pomace as a Rich Source of Anthocyanins: Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction under Different Parameters

“…In the food industry, pomace is processed for various purposes, including animal feed and isolation of valuable ingredients, for example, pectins, pigments and vitamins [4]. Moreover, pomace is also added to tea blends as an additive that enhances the desired flavor, aroma and color [5]. Fruit or vegetable pomaces are ideal as an additive that can enrich foods with proteins, vitamins, polyphenols, organic acids or minerals [6].…”

“…Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) is known for its strong health properties (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, facilitating the biosynthesis of collagen, aiding in the production of some peptide hormones, and many others) due to its high content of ascorbic acid, anthocyanins and flavonoids [11][12][13]. Studies have shown that currant pomace, along with that of grapes and chokeberry, contains a large amount of these components after the juice pressing process [5,14]. In particular, anthocyanins are of interest because of their high content in the skin and because they can be extracted relatively easily.…”