Antioxidant capacity and evaluation of total phenolic content of optimized blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) wine

Abstract

Blueberry is a fruit consumed fresh and as an ingredient in formulations such as jam, juice, and wine. Wine is a widely consumed beverage and produced from different berries and fruits. Blueberry wine contains bio-compounds that could have a beneficial effect on health. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize blueberry wine by two response variables (total soluble solids and fermentation time) to obtain the highest alcohol percentage, pH, and lightness. In order to optimize the fermentation process, a central composite design was used. The optimized blueberry wine was obtained at total soluble solids of 25°Brix and fermentation time of 16 d. The optimized blueberry characteristics estimated were: alcohol percentage of 11.91%, pH of 2.98, and lightness (L^*) of 26.22, and the optimized blueberry characteristics experimental were: alcohol percentage of 11.93±0.02%, pH of 2.97±0.01, and L^* of 25.42±1.80. The optimized blueberry wine had a total phenolic content of 360.27±18.09 mg of gallic acid equivalents L^-1, total anthocyanin content of 46.27±3.66 mg cyanidin-3 glucoside L^-1, antioxidant capacity by ABTS and DDPH assays of 1,539.8±92.18 and 1,688.07±57.57 mM Trolox equivalent L^-1, respectively. The results suggest that optimized blueberry wine can be considered a drink with potential health applications.