Use of red grape juice (concentrated and treated by UHPH) as a base to produce isotonic drinks

Abstract

The physical-chemical composition, sensory characteristics, and nutritional value of the grape juice can provide sports drink (isotonic beverage) with antioxidant compounds that complement the beneficial effect of these drinks to the rehydration and replacement of minerals and carbohydrates, during physical activity. Grape juice contains mainly water, sugars, organic acids, and phenolic compounds. By diluting the sugar content of the must to 40-50 g/L, it will allow us to obtain a drink with beneficial properties for health, avoiding the addition of sweeteners. Phenolic compounds play an important role in the prevention of various diseases through their biological activities related to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-aging, antimicrobial and cardioprotective properties. Several studies have shown that grape juice allows to improve the performance of the activity, protect against oxidative damage, and reduce inflammation during, sports activities. The polyphenolic substances present in grape musts provide sensory characteristics of interest, mainly color and aroma, important indicators for consumers when choosing this type of beverage. The anthocyanin content of musts from red varieties, gives the drink a more natural and attractive character for the consumer without the use of synthetic dyes. It is important to recognize the demand of consumers for new innovative, and healthy products, so we focus on the development of a natural, functional drink using red grape musts as a base (concentrated or treated with UHPH) as a source of polyphenols and sugars, showing interesting organoleptic properties without chemical additives, and that allows to replenish electrolytes and energy.