In recent years both in the food and the pharmaceutical industries great attention has been focused on plant-origin raw materials rich in natural antioxidants.Elderberry is such a raw material due to its relatively high content of polyphenols, including anthocyanins (Bermudez-Soto and Tomas-Barberan, 2004).
ASSESSMENT OF COLOUR CHANGES DURING STORAGE OF ELDERBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE SOLUTIONS USING THE OPTIMIZATION METHOD
ABSTRACTBackground. Elderberries are a source of dietary supplements and bioactive compounds, such as anthocyanins. These dyes are used in food technology. The aim of the study was to assess the changes in colour parameters, anthocyanin contents and sensory attributes in solutions of elderberry juice concentrates during storage in a model system and to determine predictability of sensory attributes of colour in solutions based on regression equations using the response surface methodology. Material and methods. The experiment was carried out according to the 3-level factorial design for three factors. Independent variables included pH, storage time and temperature. Dependent variables were assumed to be the components and colour parameters in the CIE L*a*b* system, pigment contents and sensory attributes.Results. Changes in colour components X, Y, Z and colour parameters L*, a*, b*, C* and h* were most dependent on pH values. Colour lightness L* and tone h* increased with an increase in experimental factors, while the share of the red colour a* and colour saturation C* decreased. The greatest eff ect on the anthocyanin concentration was recorded for storage time. Sensory attributes deteriorated during storage. The highest correlation coeffi cients were found between the value of colour tone h* and anthocyanin contents in relation to the assessment of the naturalness and desirability of colour. A high goodness-of-fi t of the model to data and high values of R 2 for regression equations were obtained for all responses. Conclusion. The response surface method facilitates optimization of experimental factor values in order to obtain a specifi c attribute of the product, but not in all cases of the experiment. Within the tested range of factors, it is possible to predict changes in anthocyanin content and the sensory attributes of elderberry juice concentrate solutions as food dye, on the basis of the lack of a fi t test. The highest stability of dyes and colour of elderberry solutions was found in the samples at pH 3.0, which confi rms the advisability of using an anthocyanin preparation to shape the colour of high-acidity food products, such as fruit fi llings, beverages, desserts.