Sensory Acceptability of Functional Probiotic Beverages Made from Underutilized Tropical Fruits Rich in Vitamins and Minerals

This study aimed to formulate probiotic beverages using underutilized tropical fruit pulp, such as those of sincuya (Annona purpurea Moc. & Sessé ex Dunal), urraco (Licania platypus (Hemsl.) Fritsch), matasano (Casimiroa edulis La Llave y Lex), and jaboticaba (Plinia cauliflora Mart. Kausel), with acceptable sensory characteristics. The evaluations of color, vitamins, minerals, °Brix, pH, and titratable acidity (TA) were performed on the fruit pulps. Subsequently, four beverages inoculated with a mixed culture (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus) were produced, and °Brix, pH, TA, sensory acceptability, and colony-forming units (CFUs) were measured after 9 h of fermentation. The sincuya pulp exhibited the highest beta-carotene (334.37 IU mg/100 g) and potassium (444.49 mg/100 g) content. The sincuya beverage was the best in terms of sensory characteristics such as color, aroma, flavor, and general acceptability, with scores of 78%, 71%, 70%, and 71%, respectively. The urraco, sincuya, and matasano beverages exhibited CFU counts of 10.9, 10.4, and 9.7 Log10 CFU/mL, respectively. These results demonstrate that the fruits and formulated beverages have technological potential, functional and probiotic benefits, and sensory characteristics that are attractive to consumers. This innovative approach suggests an alternative for improving nutrition using local resources and agro-industrial byproducts.