Researchers carried out a study in order to produce highly nutrients juice from combination of wheat grass juice with cantaloupe juices1.
It has been found by many researchers that there is a close relationship between a highly nutrient diets, the reduction of the risk of chronic disease and the maintenance of good health2. Food technologists are fascinated in improving foodstuffs from edible plants that can avert several fatal diseases.
Blending of different juices into one is an improved method in order to develop nutritional value of any juice. It can enhance the mineral and vitamin contents depending upon the kind of fruits and vegetables quality used for enhancement3.
Wheat Grass is early plant seedlings of wheat that are usually 8-10 days old. It has been traditionally used as a herbal medicine in a number of diseases like thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndrome4, 5. Wheat germ grass has many potential health benefits. It is a cheap and effective source of supply all the wanted nutrients and medicinal benefits for a healthy and regenerate body6.
General fruit juices in the market claims to have minerals rich with combination of vitamins A, C and E etc. Normally these vitamins are added artificially to enhance nutritional value. Due to its countless health benefits wheat grass has been used as an additive to improve the nutrition.
Wheat grass juice contains many vitamins, minerals, poly-phenols, antioxidant and medicinal practices for treating various disorders, so it is one of the better juices to improve the nutritional quality of the other juices. So the researchers conducted a research with objective to evaluate the fortification of traditional cantaloupe juice with wheat grass juice to produce healthy juice1.
At the same time, it was also the motive to maintain fresh color, texture, taste and flavor of the juice. Chemical composition, vitamins, minerals, antioxidant activities, phenolic or flavonoid compounds and sensory characteristics were also studied.
So for this purpose, researchers prepared the 5 blends of juices based on partial replacement of cantaloupe juice with different ratios of wheat grass juice. Cantaloupe juice and wheat grass juice were balanced and blended into one juice which was filled in pet bottles at room temperature.
Some minor changes in total soluble solids, pH and bioactive compounds were found. Remarkable improvements in vitamin C, minerals (Fe, Cu, Zn and Ca), antioxidant activity, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids were achieved with the increasing proportion of wheat grass juice in the blend juice.
Moreover apart from nutritional content, aroma profiles were also changed. An increase in alcohol and aldehyde with a main reduction in the concentration of acetates and non-acetates esters was found.
It was concluded from the study that:
“All quality characteristics especially color attributes and sensory evaluation tests showed that 10% of Cantaloupe Juice could be replaced with Wheat Grass Juice providing a good quality of juice with higher bioactive compounds and considered as most stable antioxidant activity and also could be recommended for consumption as a new juice.”
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Written by: Rabeeia
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