The development of the technology of lucerne extract and its application for production of nonalcoholic beverages of the antioxidant activity

The research objective is the technology development, lucerne quality control and its application in the production of nonalcoholic beverages. The authors use generally accepted and instrumental methods of research, namely organoleptic, physical and chemical, biochemical and microbiological ones. The reliability of received data is provided by the use of comparative analysis techniques with the help of Statistica computer program. The lucerne quality indicators used for obtaining the extract are examined. The organoleptic, physical and chemical indicators comply with the requirements of technical rules and regulations. The humidity of dry ground leaves of lucerne comprises 11.6 % at the rate no more than 14 %, the weight content of total ash is 7 %, the weight content of extraneous impurities is 0.5 %, the antioxidant activity of vegetable raw materials is 1.5 mol Eq. / dm3, the bioflavonoid content in conversion to luteolin-7-glycosid is 16.8 mg/g. The obtained results indicate that the vegetable raw material is a source of antioxidants and can be used in the technology of food products of antioxidant directional effect. The technology of obtaining a vegetable lucerne extract is developed. The extract obtaining starts with a preliminary processing of vegetable raw materials by high pressure of 100-200 MPa during 60 sec. Then the vegetable raw materials and an extraction agent (distilled water) in the ratio of 1:6 are placed in a mixer and extracted at the temperature of 55-60 °С during 6 hours in case of constant stirring. The preliminary processing of vegetable raw materials by high pressure significantly intensifies the concentration of flavonoids and the antioxidant activity of the lucerne extract. It’s determined that the developed nonalcoholic beverage has a high organoleptic estimation 24.7 points (excellent), the antioxidant directional effect (the antioxidant activity is 17.2 mol Eq. / dm3, the bioflavonoid content in conversion to luteolin-7-glycosid is 97 mg/1 l of the beverage). According to safety indicators it meets with the requirement of the Customs Union regulations TR CU 021/2011.