The fate of phenolic acids, flavonoids, vitamin C, antioxidant capacities of Cili (Rosa roxburghii) fruits upon processing and sensory properties of the processed products

As a new source of functional food materials, the fruits (Cili) of the wild plant Rosa roxburghii Tratt have been drawn much attention recent years in China. However, due to the acidic and astringent sensory property, cili gained little popularity in commercialization. This study aims to develop novel cili food product by different thermal processing methods and evaluated the changes in nutrient values and sensory properties so as to gain solid information to support the development of cili products. Canned cili, cili wine, and cili juice with or without pericarp were prepared. Although the food processing resulted in significant changes in bioactive substances of phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamin C, the processed products still showed high nutritional values. Among the various products, cili juice best prevented the loss of phenolics and flavonoids, and the retention of pericarp helped improve the prevention. Canned cili retained vitamin C most, and even the can solution had a higher vitamin C content as compared to other forms of products. For the antioxidant bioactivity, cili juice and can solution exhibited the most potent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity. According to the sensory results, the canned cili and cili wine were acceptable by customers and had potential commercial values.