Liberation and Micellarization of Carotenoids from Different Smoothies after Thermal and Ultrasound Treatments †

The consumption of a varied diet rich in fruit and vegetables helps prevent and treat certain chronic diseases. The development of smoothies based on derivatives from fruit and vegetables rich in bioactive compounds can help increase the consumption of these foods, and therefore, contribute to the prevention of various health problems. However, during the processing of the fruit and vegetable smoothies, these properties may change. The elaboration of smoothies is based on fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids: Carrot juice-papaya-mango (smoothie A) and carrot juice-pumpkin-mango (smoothie B). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the application of different thermal technologies (mild and intensive heat treatment) and non-conventional technologies (ultrasound) on carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein and β-cryptoxantin) and determine the physiochemical parameters of derivatives from fruit and vegetable smoothies. In addition, the bioaccessibility of carotenoids is also evaluated through a process of in vitro simulated digestion. With regard to the bioaccessibility of the fruit and vegetable smoothies analyzed, a positive effect of temperature on liberation and micellarization was observed.