Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of commercial vinegar drinks in Korea

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of various commercially available vinegar drinks consumed in the Korean market, including their pH, acidity, sugar, total soluble sugar, total acid, total amino acid content, and antioxidant capacity. The pH values ranged from 2.81 to 3.20 and total acidity ranged from 1.95 to 2.34%. Sugar content ranged from 31.63 to 38.75°Bx. The most commonly occurring acid was acetic acid, which can serve as an indication of the taste quality of the vinegars drinks under analysis. The total amino acid content ranged from 781 to 982 mg/L. The highest total anthocyanin content was 13.21 mg% in the blackberry vinegar (BV) and the lowest was 0.06 mg% in the red ginseng vinegar (HV). The antioxidant activities of samples were also evaluated with the BV found to have the highest activity and also showed the highest total polyphenol content.