Effects of Lactobacillus spp. on Anthocyanins from Juices of Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck ‘Tarocco’

Citrus fruits have a great importance in the agricultural sector of Southern Italy. Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck ‘Tarocco’ is grown in the Etna volcano region of Sicily, as this area provides the strong day-night thermal excursion required to synthesize anthocyanins. 1 Due to the growing interest toward bioactive components in food, the demand for orange juice is rising, and red orange based drinks are spreading on the market. Since lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been rarely used to ferment juices from citrus fruits, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the effects of fermentation with Lactobacillus spp. on the anthocyanin profile of juices from the orange variety ‘Tarocco’.