Fermentation of plant material - Effect on sugar content and stability of bioactive compounds

Abstract

Extraction is a method often used to obtain products rich in bioactive compounds from plant material. Most of the solvents used for the poly-phenols extraction simultaneously extract also sugars, undesirable as a component of health-promoting food. Fermentation might be a simple, cheap and efficient way of sugar elimination. In our study, black tea and goji berries, both known for their health benefits, were used and alcoholic fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was carried out to eliminate sugars. In the course of fermentation the concentration of polyphenols, L-theanine and carotenoids was evaluated in order to verify the preservation of selected bioactive compounds. Decreases in sugar content, formation of ethanol and yeasts growth were monitored during fermentation. The fermentation of black tea decreased the sugar concentration by 84% within 6 h without decreasing total polyphenols and L-theanine contents. Goji berry fermentation yielded a sugars decrease of 87% within 24 h, without decrease in poly-phenol content. However, carotenoid content was reduced by 17%. The study showed that fermentation was an effective way to decrease sugar content in plant extracts, and therefore it might be a pertinent step to concentrate bioactives.