(+)‐Catechin and (−)‐epicatechin levels of concentrated and ready‐to‐drink grape juices through storage

Abstract

Summary Commercial concentrated Concord (CCJ) and Isabel (CIJ) grapes juices were stored at 4–5 °C while pasteurised ready‐to‐drink juices of the same grape cultivars (PCJ and PIJ) were kept at 20–25 °C under indirect light for 10 months, simulating industrial storage conditions. (+)‐catechin preservation during storage ranged between 63% (PCJ) and 52% (PIJ); (−)‐epicatechin retention was of 32% (CCJ) and 15% (CIJ). Total phenols retention ranged from 93% (CCJ) to 84% (PCJ) and radical scavenging activity (RSA) from 87% (PIJ) to 85% (CCJ and PCJ). Concentrated juices showed higher monomeric flavan‐3‐ols amounts and CCJ depicted superior phenolic contents. PIJ yielded the highest RSA during storage per phenolic unit. Process and storage impacted flavan‐3‐ols and not total phenolics and RSA during 10‐month ageing.