New herbal bitter liqueur with high antioxidant activity and lower sugar content: innovative approach to liqueurs formulations

Herbal liqueurs are spirits with numerous functional properties, due to the presence of bioactive extractable compounds deriving from herbs. The aim of this study was to obtain new herbal bitter liqueur (HBL) on the basis of twelve selected bitter and aromatic plants extracts, with an optimal sensory profile for consumer acceptance. Also, the determination of optimal sugar content in HBL was done. Furthermore, antioxidant (AO) capacity and total phenolic content (TPC) of HBL was evaluated and compared to similar commercial herbal spirits. Among five tested formulations, assessed by 9-point hedonic scale, HBL with the ratio of bitter and aromatic plants 1:4 was the most acceptable. Ideal concentration of sugar in HBL, determined using a just-about-right scale, was found to be 80.32 g/l of sucrose, which is approximately 20% less than the minimum stipulated by European Union Regulation and several times lower than in the majority of commercial liqueurs. Obtained result indicates the possibility of sugar reduction in liqueurs, and suggests the need to carry out sensory analysis before production of these high-calorie beverages. Radical scavenging ability against DPPH and ABTS radicals, as well as ferric reducing antioxidant power and TPC of HBL were convincingly superior in comparison to similar commercial herbal alcoholic beverages. High correlation coefficients between TPC and other assays applied strongly support the significant role of the polyphenols in the total AO capacity of the HBL and other tested commercial herbal spirits. Headspace GC/MS revealed that the most abundant terpenes were menthone (3.75%), eucalyptol (3.42%) and menthol (3.10%), whereas methanol was present in a small amount (4.97 mg/l)

Incorporation of copper ions by yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus during cultivation on whey

The production of Kluyveromyces marxianus biomass enriched with copper ions were studied. For that reason the growth of Kluyveromyces marxianus in whey with different concentrations of copper ions in batch process under semiaerobic and aerobic conditions were examined. The kinetics of copper ions accumulation in yeast cells, under the same conditions, as well as the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) during yeast growth in aerobic condition, were monitored, as well. The concentration of copper ions in media up to 4 mg l−1 did not affect the yeast growth, whereas at a higher concentration, a marked decrease in the rate of yeast growth, ethanol production and lactose consumption occurred. In semiaerobic conditions, the maximum uptake of 0.35 mg Cu g−1 d.m. was obtained, while in aerobic conditions a lower uptake of 0.26 mg Cu g−1 d.m. and COD reduction of 85% were achieved. COD reduction was independent of the copper addition or uptake