pThis study evaluated the effect of ultrasound (US) as soft thermal processing or thermosonication technology to improve the properties of a functional beverage made from noni (emMorinda citrifolia/em) and carambola (emAverrhoa carambola/em). A 3sup2; factorial design was applied with ultrasound temperatures (50ndash;60deg;C) and times (25ndash;35 min). Physicochemical, bioactive, and colorimetric parameters were analyzed, modeling their responses using quadratic regression. The results showed that US significantly increased polyphenol content (up to 2200 mg FAGE/L) and antioxidant capacity (gt;100 mu;mol Trolox/g) under optimal conditions (60deg;C/30 min), although it reduced vitamin C by 32% compared to the control. Viscosity decreased in the treated samples to 3.1 mPa s, improving product fluidity, while the pH remained stable (3.6ndash;3.7). Predictive models showed a high fit (Rsup2; gt;95%) for antioxidants and color. It is concluded that ultrasound improves bioactive extraction and technological properties at 52.4 deg;C and 31.2 min at 40 kHz. This technology offers a sustainable alternative for functional beverages, although it highlights the need for a balance between maximizing bioactive compounds and preserving thermolabile components. Future studies should evaluate the sensory impact and shelf life of products optimized using this technology./p
Cruz et al. (Tue,) studied this question.