Considering the great industrialization potential of coconut water and acerola juice and their functional properties, the objective of this work was to develop a ready-to-drink blended beverage based on coconut water and acerola juice and to evaluate its storage stability during 180 days at room temperature (28 ± 2 °C). Four formulations with 25 and 30% proportions of juice and total soluble solids (10 and 12 °Brix) were prepared, heated to 90 °C for 60 seconds and packed in glass bottles. The samples were submitted to chemical and physicochemical characterization (pH, acidity, soluble solids and vitamin C) and sensory evaluation (color, flavor and global evaluation). The best formulation was evaluated through chemical, physicochemical, sensorial and microbiological analyses during 180 days of storage. The beverage prepared with 30% acerola juice and sucrose added up to 12 °Brix presented the highest flavor and global evaluation scores when compared to the other samples. The blended beverage was stable with respect to pH, acidity, soluble solids and total sugars. Vitamin C, total anthocyanins and reducing sugars contents and color changed significantly along the 180 days of storage. The formulated beverage maintained microbiological stability. The sensorial evaluation showed that the blended beverage had good acceptability, especially during the first 90 days of storage.
blend; tropical fruits; Cocus nucifera L.; Malpighia emarginata D. C.; stability
