Effect of storage on total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, and physicochemical properties of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) jam

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of storage on the physicochemical and nutritional aspects ofblueberry jam. Jams were stored at either 4, 25, or 358C during a 56-day period. The pH was sig-nificantly reduced during storage (p<.05). Overall, results demonstrated the significant effect ofstorage temperature and time on the color degradation and on the texture of the samples studied(p<.05). The total antioxidant activity was significantly affected by temperature as the total anti-oxidant activity retention of samples stored at 48C was significantly higher to that of the samplesstored at either 25 or 358C after a 56-day storage period (p<.05). A strong positive correlationwas found between the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity withR2ranging from0.617 to 0.716. Results obtained herein suggested that blueberry jams should be refrigerated tobetter retain their overall quality attributes and their antioxidant capacity