Fermented vegetable-fruit beverages are a popular fermented food, with many potential health benefits. In this study, two commercial Lactobacillus plantarum strains were selected to ferment a beverage containing apples, pears, and carrots. The metabolites and antioxidant activities were examined during the fermentation process. Results showed that lactic acid and acetic acid accumulated gradually, whereas malic acid decreased. Glucose and fructose increased from 0.48 and 14.8 g/L to 7.7 and 20.8 g/L, respectively, while sucrose decreased slightly. Ascorbic acid also increased continuously during the fermentation to 90.74 mg/100 mL. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and FRAP reached their maximum value after 4-8 days. The accumulation of TPC, TFC, and SOD reached their maximum value on the 8th day of fermentation. Our study revealed that the L. plantarum-fermented vegetable-fruit beverage showed significant antioxidant activity, which is helpful in evaluating the fermentation end-point and developing a high-quality fermented beverage.
Keywords: Antioxidant activities; Fermentation; Lactobacillus plantarum; Metabolites; Vegetable–fruit beverage.