Heat-extracted jaboticaba juice blended with apple juice has good sensory acceptance and the addition of Zn2+ delays the degradation of its anthocyanins during storage at room temperature

• Blended jaboticaba and apple juice was sensory well-accepted. • Anthocyanins of jaboticaba juice were faster degraded when blended with apple juice. • Anthocyanin stabilization by Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Zn 2+ , Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ was observed at 80 °C. • Zn 2+ addition delayed anthocyanins degradation in jaboticaba-apple blend at 25 °C. Our objectives were to develop a blend of heat-extracted jaboticaba juice and apple juice, and to investigate the protective effect of the addition of metallic cations on the stability of its anthocyanins during storage at 25 °C, 45 °C and 80 °C. Jaboticaba juice yields were similar when extracted at 70 °C and 90 °C. However, juice extracted at the higher temperature exhibited higher ideal proportions of apple juice for the attributes “sweetness” and “color” compared to that extracted at the lower temperature. The blended juice containing 55 % of jaboticaba juice extracted at 90 °C was sensory well-accepted (overall acceptance score of 7.1 in a 9-point scale), but the addition of apple juice resulted in 10 % higher losses in total anthocyanins contents after 30 days at 25 °C. The addition of Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ led to a less fast degradation of anthocyanins of jaboticaba juice only at 80 °C. At 45 °C, Zn 2+ was the sole metallic cation which addition reduced total anthocyanins degradation of JAJ, while the other cations increased anthocyanins degradation. At 25 °C, Zn 2+ addition delayed anthocyanins degradation of both jaboticaba and blended juices, but better in the absence of apple juice. Although the use of apple juice instead of sucrose as a sweetener was detrimental to anthocyanins protection, it should be considered from the nutritional point of view.