Lactic Fermentation as an Efficient Tool to Enhance the Antioxidant Activity of Tropical Fruit Juices and Teas

Abstract

Tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya, mango, and beverages such as green or black teas, represent an underestimated source of antioxidants that could exert health-promoting properties. Most food processing technologies applied to fruit beverages or teas result in an impairment of inherent nutritional properties. Conversely, we hypothesise that lactic acid fermentation may constitute a promising route to maintain and even improve the nutritional qualities of processed fruits. Using specific growth media, lactic acid bacteria were selected from the fruit phyllosphere diversity and fruit juice, with the latter undergoing acidification kinetics analyses and characterised for exopolysaccharide production. Strains able to ferment tropical fruit juices or teas into pleasant beverages, within a short time, were of particular interest. Strains Weissella cibaria 64 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides 12b, able to increase antioxidant activity, were specifically studied as potential starters for lactic fermented pineapple juice.

Changes Over the Fermentation Period in Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Blueberries Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum

“…Therefore, conversion of these polymer polyphenolic compounds into simpler compounds via enzymatic hydrolysis or fermentation is one strategy to increase the bioavailability of phenolic compounds (Chamorro, Viveros, Alvarez, Vega, & Brenes, , Nie et al., , Oh, Jeong, Velmurugan, Park, & Jeong, ). Lactic acid fermentation of fruits and vegetables produces bioactive compounds that have antibacterial, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral benefits (Bhat et al., , Fessard et al., , Parvez, Malik, Ah Kang, & Kim, , Shen et al., ). In particular, 24 types of Lactobacillus strains with tannase activity, which can improve the bioavailability of plant materials, have been isolated from various types of kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food (Kwon, Shim, & Lee, ).…”

Nutritional and Microbiological Quality of Tiger Nut Tubers (Cyperus esculentus), Derived Plant-Based and Lactic Fermented Beverages

“…Lactic fermentation of cereals, including maize, millet, barley, oats, rye, wheat, rice or sorghum, into beverages is ancestral and commonly used in Africa [7,15]. Lactic fermented beverages obtained from teas or vegetables or fruits, with high functional value, were also described [16,17]. The development of new lactic-fermented products is explored worldwide and is recognized as the most suitable way for increasing the daily consumption of fresh-like vegetables and fruits [7,10,16].…”

Ready to Use Therapeutical Beverages: Focus on Functional Beverages Containing Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics

“…There are traditional non-dairy fermented drinks that are usually produced using fruit or vegetable juice as a main ingredient with many different health-beneficial effects [113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129].…”