Study of natural mango juice spoilage and microbial contamination with Penicillium expansum by high resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy

High resolution 1H NMR has been applied to monitor the changes in the composition of natural mango juice subjected to spoilage and to microbial contamination with Penicillium expansum. A vast number of compounds undergoing changes upon these processes have been identified and their variations followed throughout time (132 h). Besides the formation of typical fermentation products (e.g. acetate, lactic acid, acetoin and isopropanol/2,3-butanediol) and the utilization of the major sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose), there were changes in organic acids (e.g. decreases of quinic and shikimic acids with formation of 3,4,5-trihydroxycyclohexane acid in spoiled juice, and decreases of citric and malic acids in contaminated juice), amino acids (decreases of alanine, leucine, isoleucine and valine), and less abundant components such as oligosaccharides and aromatic compounds. The possibility of using these changes as early indicators of natural spoilage or P. expansum contamination is discussed.