Researchers from the University of Food Technologies, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, recently examined the potential of using antioxidant compounds from rose petals to add stability to colorants derived from strawberry extracts. The results of this research were recently published online as “Colour stability improvement of strawberry beverage by fortification with polyphenolic copigments naturally occurring in rose petals” in Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies ahead of the print edition.
Natural colors are increasingly in demand, but their stability is sometimes challenged by the often harsh realities of processing, including the ability of the color to remain consistent under high heat conditions. In order to help improve the heat stability of strawberry anthocyanins, the researchers investigated the effects of adding polyphenolic copigments from rose petals (Rosa damascene) in a heat-treated beverage.
Results showed that color stability increased due to the addition of rose-petal polyphenolics, helping foster a smaller color difference after prolonged heating. This led the researchers to suggest: “The results obtained demonstrated that the addition of polyphenolic copigments extracted from distilled rose petals reduces the thermal degradation of strawberry anthocyanins, allowing improved color stability of the processed strawberries. Moreover, this polyphenolic fortification could be worthwhile not only from technological point of view, but also with respect to the development of functional foods and beverages.” They also note that “the approach suggested appears to be easily applicable at industrial scale.”
