Stability and quality of a bioactive peptide fraction incorporated orange juice

The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of a bioactive <5 kDa sized peptide fraction in orange juice and its effect on the organoleptic properties. A concentration of 3000 μg/mL of <5 kDa peptide fraction in orange juice was prepared, the samples were stored at 4 °C along with the control without hydrolysates. Samples were drawn at 0, 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days to monitor pH, color, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, and peptide fraction concentration. Organoleptic properties were assessed at 0 and 14 days using a triangle test. The orange juice with the peptide fraction showed similar pH, color, and ascorbic acid content when compared to control throughout the study. The concentration of the peptide fraction in orange juice remained stable throughout the study. Analysis of sensory data showed no significant difference between the freshly prepared control and peptide fraction incorporated orange juice (p = 0.0583). However, the orange juice stored for 14 days at 4 °C showed varying acceptance levels from the panelists which was significant. Overall, the study demonstrated that orange juice can be a potential vehicle for application of bioactive peptide fractions.