Blood Orange Anthocyanins in Fruit Beverages: How the Commercial Shelf Life Reflects the Quality Parameter

Pigmented oranges are a high value typical product, used for the production of healthy juice-based drinks due to the peculiar presence of anthocyanins as dietary antioxidants. A qualitative HPLC/PDA/MS analytical method for verifying presence/absence of blood orange anthocyanins was validated in accordance with Eurachem guide in terms of accordance (100%), specificity/selectivity, repeatability of retention time (CV < 0.5%), limit of detection (0.36 mg/L) and limit of decision (0.41 mg/L). Fifty commercial red orange juice beverages were collected on the market and analyzed to assess the occurrence of blood orange anthocyanins. The results showed that only 60% of analyzed products have a minimum content of anthocyanins of blood orange, guaranteeing the specifications of the product they publicize and sell until the expiration date. Therefore, it is possible to envisage a gradual degradation of the specific parameter (anthocyanins) or willful misconduct of producers (non-use of blood orange juice). In both cases, the consumer buys a product with high added value without such value being guaranteed. This information will be useful to revise the expiration date of these products, the percentage of blood orange juice used in the preparation and/or the storage conditions of the products.