Functional, Physical and Sensory Properties of Pulse Ingredients Incorporated into Orange and Apple Juice Beverages

The objective of this study was to explore the use of pulse ingredients in the development of orange juice and apple juice supplemented beverages. Commercially available pulse ingredients including pea protein (PP), chickpea flour (CPF), lentil flour (LF) and pea fibre (PF) were selected and characterized with respect to specific functional properties (water holding capacity, fat absorption capacity, protein solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties). Apple juice was supplemented with 1-4% pulse ingredients, whereas a supplementation level of 1-2% was used for orange juice. The physical and sensory properties of the supplemented beverages were measured after production and during 3 weeks of refrigerated storage. Sensory attributes for both orange and apple juice supplemented with 1% and 2% pulse ingredients were similar to their respective controls (with and without pectin added). In terms of turbidity, supplementation increased the turbidity of apple juice and orange juice beverages at all levels, in comparison with control and pectin-added control samples. Supplemented samples, showed less satisfactory results in terms of cloud stability and color especially for orange juice beverages in comparison with their respective controls. Overall, while there are some hurdles to be overcome, the results suggest that when used at the 1-2% levels, PP, PF, CPF and LF could serve as potential value-added ingredients for beverage supplementation based on their physical and sensory properties. Further studies are, however, required in this promising area to improve the stability of the final production especially during storage.