Beverages of lemon juice and exotic noni and papaya with potential for anticholinergic effects

• Lemon juice drinks enriched with noni and papaya bioactives have been prepared.
• Lemon juice with papaya fruit (LP) had the highest antioxidant capacity.
• Beverages showed anticholinergic activity, being LP the most active.
• New blends may have potential for product development in nutrition for aging adults.

Lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.) juice beverages enriched either with noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) (LN) or papaya (Carica papaya L.) (LP), were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn, the antioxidant capacity was evaluated by (DPPH), superoxide (O2−), hydroxyl radicals (OH) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) assays, and their potential as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitors was also assessed. The fruits are rich in a wide range of bioactive phenolics. Regarding DPPH, OH and HOCl assays, the LP displayed strong activity, and LN was the most active against O2−. Concerning cholinesterases, LP was the most active, mainly due to lemon juice contribution. The effect on the cholinesterases was not as strong as in previous reports on purified extracts, but the bioactive-rich beverages offer the possibility of dietary coadjutants for daily consumption of health-promoting substances by adults with aging-related cognitive or physical disorders.