Quality and microbial safety evaluation of new isotonic beverages upon thermal treatments

In the present study, it was evaluated how two different thermal treatments (Mild and Severe) may affect the anthocyanin content, antioxidant capacity (ABTS+, DPPH, and FRAP), quality (CIELAB colour parameters), and microbiological safety of a new isotonic drink made of lemon and maqui berry over a commercial storage simulation using a shelf life of 56 days at two preservation temperature (7 °C and 37 °C). Both heat treatments did not affect drastically the anthocyanins content and their percentage of retention. The antioxidant capacity, probably because of the short time, was also not affected. The CIELAB colour parameters were affected by the heat, although the isotonic drinks remained with attractive red colour during shelf life. From a microbiological point of view, the Mild heat treatment with storage at 7 °C is the ideal for the preservation of microbial growth, being useful for keeping the quality and safety of beverages in commercial life.