Abstract

Blackcurrant juice extraction was optimized by enzymatic maceration. A Box-Behnken experimental design was used considering the effect of enzyme concentration, temperature, and treatment time over the total polyphenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AC), and juice yield. Under the obtained optimal conditions (200 ppm enzyme, 45 degrees C and 60 min), a 2.4-fold increment for TPC, 2.8-fold for AC, and 2.7-fold for total monomeric anthocyanins (ACY) were observed, along with a 15% increase in juice yield. The juice was spray-dried and the powder was tested as an ingredient in a jelly dessert. An attractive color product was obtained, also containing blackcurrant bioactive compounds (0.56 +/- 0.03 mg GA/g, 0.20 +/- 0.02 mg cyd-3-glu/g and 0.16 +/- 0.02 mg of GA/g for TPC, ACY, and AC, respectively). This jelly was stable regarding syneresis and antioxidant compounds for 15 days at 4 degrees C. The developed blackcurrant powder could be useful as natural colorant and source of bioactive compounds for several food applications.