Healthy plant extracts may give Irish fruit juices a scientific edge

SCIENTISTS and industry experts are working on fruit juices incorporating healthy plant extracts which could give the beverage industry an edge in international markets.

Food scientists at UCD, TCD, DIT and Teagasc have enjoyed positive results from their trials on combining extracts from organically grown plants, such as nettles, feverfew and chamomile flowers with fruit juices.

One of the target results is to develop beverages which will have beneficial effects for skeletal joint health, and which could perhaps be marketed as novel anti-ageing and sports-recovery drinks.

Funded by the Department of Agriculture and backed by Enterprise Ireland, the project is headed up by UCD’s Prof Dolores O’Riordan.

“The beverage industry people are delighted with this positive story,” said Prof O’Riordan. “There is a lot of industry interest in this study, developing drinks which could help give those with joint problems greater agility, and enhance activity levels in ageing joints.

“We are talking about looking towards minor sports injuries and wear and tear. The findings were very positive on the lab front. The trials were very effective in incorporating those levels of bioactives into a fruit drink. In terms of taste, you would need a strong juice like a mango to mask the taste. Happily, in our small scale human trials it was possible to develop mixtures that people would consume.”

Prof O’Riordan’s UCD research colleague Dr Jean-Christophe Jacquier examined the effect of heat treatment and storage on the stability of herbal medicine bioactives in acidified beverages. This initial trial on the shelf life of the drinks was followed by studies relating to taste and other new thermal technologies by collaborating scientists.

Dr Jacquier said: “I have worked on a case study incorporating an extract of medicinal plants such as feverfew with orange juice. The plants were organically grown on a farm in Roscommon.

“We wanted to see if the juice retained its health benefits after three to six months on the shelf. Chemically, the answer is yes. Feverfew does exactly what it says on the tin. It has anti-inflammatory properties, reducing pain and fever.”

“Like most medicinal plants, its taste can be a bit potent. But my role was simply to see that the drink met certain bio-markers when consumed. It did.”

Managing the taste of the drinks and other aspects of the study were examined by other members of the research team.

Prof O’Riordan and Dr Jacquier are members of a team of high level scientists due to present their latest findings at the Thirsty For Information beverage industry workshop at UCD on Tuesday, June 1.

For more visit: www.relayresearch.ie