Functional drink formulation containing orange juice and tropical almond leaf extract: physicochemical, sensory and microbial properties

In this study, the production of orange juice containing tropical almond’s red leaf extract and optimization of its formulation based on physicochemical, sensory and microbial characteristics have been investigated. For this purpose, the extracts of tropical almonds were added to the orange juice at 4 levels (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%) and physicochemical, sensory and microbial properties were evaluated for 3 months after production at 4 and 25 °. Increasing the concentration of the tropical almond’s red leaf extract increased the brix and color intensity but did not significantly affect the turbidity of the orange juice samples. Microbial count in the orange juice samples after one month of storage at 25 °C revealed that the increase in the number of molds, yeast, and aerobic. In regard to the general acceptability characteristic, the orange juice sample that contained the 20 % extract received the highest score.