New Beverages of Lemon Juice Enriched with the Exotic Berries Maqui, Acai, and Blackthorn: Bioactive Components and in Vitro Biological Properties

Following previous research on lemon juice enriched with berries, the aim of this work was to design new blends based on lemon juice mixed with different edible berries of exotic and national origin: maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz), acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.), and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.). The phytochemical characterization of controls and blends was performed by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn. Their antioxidant capacity against DPPH, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals and hypochlorous acid and their potential to inhibit cholinesterases were also assessed. The profiling of the red fruits and lemon revealed a wide range of bioactive phenolics. The novel beverage based on lemon juice and maqui berry (LM) was the most interesting blend in terms of antioxidant capacity. Berry control samples displayed reduced effects on acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, the lemon juice control being always the most active. This activity was also remarkable for lemon-blackthorn (LB) and lemon-acai (LA) blends, the last being the most effective inhibitor of cholinesterases among all samples. The results suggested that lemon juice enriched with berries could be of potential interest in the design of new drinks with a nutritive related function on health for chronic diseases.