BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF A PLANT-BASED BEVERAGE WITH ADDED Hibiscus sabdariffa L. EXTRACT

The growing demand for plant-based beverages has driven the development of products with functional properties, particularly through the use of natural ingredients capable of enhancing their nutritional, technological, and sensory value. Among these ingredients, natural colorants rich in bioactive compounds have attracted considerable interest from the food industry due to increasing consumer demand for alternatives to synthetic additives. In this context, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. stands out as an important source of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds, with the ability to impart color to food products. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, instrumental color, and rheological behavior of a plant-based beverage with added aqueous Hibiscus sabdariffa extract. A commercial plant-based beverage composed of coconut milk, sugar, modified corn starch, tricalcium phosphate, soluble fiber, xanthan gum, natural coconut flavor, potassium sorbate, yeast, and the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12^® was supplemented with 2% (w/v) hibiscus extract. The extract was obtained by solid-liquid extraction using water as the solvent at a 1:5 (w/v, Hibiscus:water) ratio. Total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were determined using the ORAC, DPPH, and ABTS assays. Instrumental color was evaluated using the CIELAB color system. Rheological behavior was evaluated under increasing shear rates (3.32 -52.82 s⁻¹), and the experimental data were fitted to the Power Law and Herschel-Bulkley models. The beverage exhibited a total phenolic compound content of 28.07 ± 1.43, total flavonoid content of 1.08 ± 0.07, and antioxidant activity of 50.51 ± 3.93 (ORAC), 36.97 ± 5.25 (DPPH), and 37.59 ± 2.61 (ABTS). Color analysis revealed high lightness (L* = 83.78 ± 2.83) and positive a* (10.38 ± 0.37) and b* (7.37 ± 0.21) values, with a chroma of 12.47 ± 0.43 and a hue angle of 33.65 ± 0.01°, indicating the characteristic reddish color associated with anthocyanins present in the extract. Rheological behavior was characterized as non-Newtonian and pseudoplastic, with the Herschel-Bulkley model providing the best fit to the experimental data (R² = 0.99), yielding a yield stress of 2.62 Pa, a consistency index of 4.33 Pa·sⁿ, and a flow behavior index of 0.45. These findings demonstrate that the plant-based beverage with added aqueous hibiscus extract contains bioactive compounds, exhibits antioxidant activity, and presents technological properties that support the potential application of this extract in plant-based beverages. Acknowledgments: FAPEMIG and CAPES.