The aim of this work was to assess the effect of a set storage period on the phenolics, anthocyanins, antioxidant activity, color, and texture of three types of jams made from tart cherry. The prepared samples of tart cherry jams were: (1) regular jam; (2) extra jam; and (3) light jam. The samples were stored at room temperature for eight months. Results of the investigated parameters after storage were compared with the results after sample preparations, and between the different jam samples. The light jam had the highest phenolic content and anthocyanin content (3.34 g/kg and 985.52 mg/kg). Consequently, the light jam had the highest antioxidant activity determined by ABTS (2,2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline sulfonic acid)) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil) method. After storage, the highest retention of the phenolics had regular jam and extra jam (85%), while the lowest retention (74%) were found in the light jam. Anthocyanin stability was the highest in the regular jam, then the extra jam (15%), and then the light jam, with retention of 22%, 15%, and 12%, respectively. Color parameters and textural parameters also depended on jam type, as well as on storage conditions. Since the investigated types of jams differed in content of fruit and water, these are the most important factors that cause the change in the retention of phenolics and anthocyanins, as well as a change in color and textural parameters.

Encapsulation of bioactives is a tool to prepare their suitable delivery systems and ensure their stability. For this purpose, cellulose was selected as carrier of raspberry juice phenolics and freeze-dried cellulose/raspberry encapsulates (C/R_Es) were formulated. Influence of cellulose amount (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%) and time (15 or 60 min) on the complexation of cellulose and raspberry juice was investigated. Obtained C/R_Es were evaluated for total phenolics, anthocyanins, antioxidant activity, inhibition of α-amylase and color. Additionally, encapsulation was confirmed by FTIR. Stability of C/R_Es was examined after 12 months of storage at room temperature. Increasing the amount of cellulose during formulation of C/R_E from 2.5% to 10%, resulted in the decrease of content of total phenolics and anthocyanins. Additionally, encapsulates formulated by 15 min of complexation had a higher amount of investigated compounds. This tendency was retained after storage. The highest antioxidant activities were determined for C/R_E with 2.5% of cellulose and the lowest for those with 10% of cellulose, regardless of the methods used for its evaluation. After storage of 12 months, antioxidant activity slightly increased. Encapsulates with 2.5% of cellulose had the highest and those with 10% of cellulose the lowest capability for inhibition of α-amylase. The amount of cellulose also had an impact on color of C/R_Es. Results of this study suggest that cellulose could be a good encapsulation polymer for delivering raspberry bioactives, especially when cellulose was used in lower percentages for formulation of encapsulates.

Formulation of delivery systems for active ingredients is of increasing importance for the food industry. For that purpose, we selected cellulose as a carrier polymer of raspberry volatiles. Freeze-dried cellulose/raspberry complexes were prepared by complexation of raspberry juice (constant amount) and cellulose (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%). In our study, cellulose was shown as a good carrier of raspberry juice volatiles. Thirty-nine volatiles were detected in raspberry juice while 11 of them were lost during preparation of the complexes. Berry flavor note was the dominant one in raspberry juice (40% of overall flavor), followed by citrus and woody notes (each around 18% of overall flavor) and floral, fruity, and green (each around 8% of overall flavor). Cellulose/raspberry complexes had different flavor profiles, but a berry flavor note was still the dominant one in all complexes. These results suggest an efficient plant-based approach to produce value-added cellulose/volatile dry complexes with possible utility as food flavoring ingredients.

The food industry is continuously developing ingredients, processing methods and packaging materials to improve the quality of fruit products. The aim of this work was to study the possibility of using citrus fiber in the preparation of blackberry cream fillings in combination with disaccharides (sucrose, maltose and trehalose). Evaluations of the phenolics, proanthocyanidins, antioxidant activity, color and volatiles of blackberry cream fillings were conducted after preparation and after three months of storage. Blackberry cream fillings were prepared from citrus fiber (5%), blackberry juice and disaccharides (50%). Disaccharide type had an effect on all investigated parameters. The highest phenol content was in fillings with trehalose (4.977 g/100 g) and the lowest was in fillings prepared with sucrose (4.249 g/100 g). The same tendency was observed after storage. Fillings with maltose had the highest proanthocyanidins content (473.05 mg/100 g) while fillings with sucrose had the lowest amount (299.03 mg/100 g) of these compounds. Regarding volatile compounds, terpenes and aldehydes and ketones were evaluated in the highest concentration. Terpenes were determined in the highest concentration in fillings with trehalose (358.05 µg/kg), while aldehydes and ketones were highest in fillings with sucrose (250.87 µg/kg). After storage, concentration of volatiles decreased. These results indicate that the selection of adequate disaccharides is very important since it can influence the final quality of the product.