OBTAINING AND QUALITY CONTROL OF AN EXPERIMENTAL PROTOTYPE OF ORANGE JUICE WITH THE ADDITION OF SPINACH

The aim of this research is to create an experimental prototype of a beverage with nutraceutical potential made from orange juice with spinach powder. As collateral objectives, the values of the quality indicators for seven juice samples were compared and the influencing factors that stood out were analyzed. Thus, the greatest influence was given by the percentage of spinach powder addition and the juice storage time The results showed that with the increase in the amount of spinach powder added in the assembly stage, after the finishing stage, (0.2%; 0.4%; 0.6%), the following quality indicator values were obtained: titratable acidity (TA) =1.06-1.19 g/100mL expressed in citric acid, increasing during the preparation and decreasing during the storage. Total soluble solid (TSS) = 9-9.9 oBx is very little influenced by the addition, but rather by the orange variety. The ascorbic acid content increases with the percentage of powder and decreases during the juice storage and during the transition from fruit to juice. The value of water activity(aw) = 0.982-0.979 is not influenced by the type of powders nor by their rehydration capacity. The turbidity (maximum 6540 NTU- S23) is specific to the cloudy juices and the influence of the powder addition is visible in the storage duration. The type of powder chosen influences the results, but within the range of values already obtained for the cloudy juices. The obtained juice, with the additions, is green with a persistent orange aroma and quality indicators that are specific to the cloudy juices. This juice can be applied to the mass production level and it is recommended to be analyzed for stability and nutritional content.