Functional blueberry beverages with the addition of Arabic Gum

Introduction: This study aimed to add value to Arabic Gum (AG) and the blueberry discarded harvest from Northwest of Argentina, developing functional dietary beverages with AG at three concentrations of 0; 5; 10 and 15 g/100 mL, and to assess the sensory acceptability, physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant properties. Material and methods: Blueberries (BB) at 30 g/100 mL and steviol glycosides (0.03 g/100 mL) were used. Results: The beverage with 10 g/100 mL of AG had the best scores for sensory acceptability and was preferred by consumers. It has a pH of 3.88, soluble solid content of 14.97 °Brix, density of 1.05 g/cm3 and a colour which showed a tendency from red to blue. The Total Caloric Value (per 100 mL of beverage) was 53.4 Kcal, 13.53 g of carbohydrates, 8.80 g of total dietary fibre, and a sodium content of 12.26 mg. The total polyphenol content was 214.23 mg GAE /100 g. Conclusions: The serving size of functional beverage covers 70% of the daily dietary fibre recommendation.