Fruit Antioxidants during Vinegar Processing: Changes in Content and in Vitro Bio-Accessibility

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Nutritional Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Fruit vinegars can retain fruit's health compounds.
• Limited understanding of how vinegar production affects fruit antioxidants.
• Focus on apple and grape vinegars.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the impact of vinegar processing on fruit antioxidant content.
• Analyze changes in phenolic compounds and flavonoids during vinegar production.
• Assess the bio-accessibility of phenolic compounds in vinegar.

Main Methods:

• Studied industrial vinegar production steps from fruit juice fermentation to final product.
• Employed spectroscopic methods and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
• Utilized an in vitro digestion model to mimic the human digestive tract.

Main Results:

• Spectrophotometry showed significant loss of antioxidant phenolic compounds from fruit wine to vinegar.
• HPLC analysis revealed gallic acid loss in later vinegar processing stages.
• Vinegar production causes major alterations in phenolic compound profiles.

Conclusions:

• Vinegar making substantially modifies phenolic compounds in fruits.
• Untargeted metabolite analysis is recommended for detailed insights.
• Investigated the potential of vinegar as a source of fruit-derived health compounds.