Formulation, characterization, and storage stability of phytonutrient-rich carbonated kinnow mandarin juice beverage

Carbonated drinks are popular due to their thirst-quenching and refreshing properties; however, they are deficient in nutritional components. An attempt has been made to develop a fruit-juice-based carbonated beverage by utilizing kinnow juice concentrate at different levels (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5%) along with sugar syrup and chilled carbonated water. Kinnow juice extracted with screw-type extractor had best quality with minimum bitterness (limonin 28 ppm) and maximum (56.50%) yield, which was concentrated from 11 to 70 degrees B using rotary vacuum evaporator. Based on preliminary organoleptic trials, 5.0% juice concentrate was standardized for the formulation of carbonated beverage and shelf-life studies. Storage studies (at 30 +/- 1 degrees C) revealed that physicochemical parameters remained unaltered, while a slight but significant (p < 0.05) decrease was observed in phytochemical parameters. Approximately 97% ascorbic acid and 95% of other bioactive compounds were found retained with high overall acceptability at the end of 4 months of storage. Also, significant decrease in CO2 content and CO2:volume was observed during storage. It can be concluded that the utilization of kinnow mandarins in carbonated beverage can provide dual benefits of providing convenient and natural flavoured carbonated drinks to the consumers and can boom the growth of the fruit-based carbonated beverage industry.