Physicochemical, functional, and sensory characterization of apple leathers enriched with acachul (Ardisia compressa Kunth) powder

The objective of this work was to develop an innovative fruit leather from apple added with a dry ingredient obtained from a wild fruit named acachul (Ardisia compressa Kunt) and sweetened with stevia and maltitol syrup. The acachul ingredient was analyzed in terms of physical properties, and bioactive characteristics: antioxidant capacity (AC), monomeric anthocyanin content (ACY) and total polyphenol content (TPC). Texture, color, and bioaccesibility of AC were evaluated in the developed leathers, together with sensory and stability studies. The powder ingredient was exceptionally rich in bioactive compounds, and it also showed good physical properties. The leather exhibited AC values of 1.64 +/- 0.1, and 1.59 +/- 0.2 mg GAE/g by ABTS and FRAP methods, respectively; and presented an ACY value of 0.50 +/- 0.06 mg Cyn-3-glu/g, a TPC value of 2.80 +/- 0.19 mg GAE/g, and 91.0% AC bioaccessibility. The sensory study showed that 70% of consumers liked the product, this being a valuable data to know the potential of this product in the market. After 12 weeks storage >70% AC was preserved, and texture changes were within the range reported by other authors. This product could be an interesting option to replace conventional candies.

Automated summary

The study successfully developed an innovative apple fruit leather product enriched with bioactive compounds, demonstrating good texture, color, high bioaccessibility, and high consumer acceptance, indicating potential for commercialization.