LAUSR

Abstract The characteristics of the clarified “Cerrado” cashew juice, supplemented with Sacharomyces boulardii and different sweeteners, were evaluated. Eight formulations of clarified cashew juice were prepared with different sugars (sucrose-SCO, fructose-FRU, and xylitol-XIL), artificial sweeteners (stevia-STE, aspartame-ASP, and sucralose-SCA), only yeast (YEA), and control (CON). S. boulardii was added to juice (108 CFU/mL), and then the mixture was stored (7 °C) and evaluated during 28 days for pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, color, osmolality, probiotic survival, and sensory properties. The juices were classified as very acidic (pH~3.2) and there was decrease in soluble solid content during shelf life (~12°–4° Brix). At 28 days of storage, the cellular viability (S. boulardii) was higher than 7 log CFU/mL for almost all treatments and the juice could be therefore considered a probiotic food. The treatment evaluated showed high vitamin C content (54–71 mg/100 mL), total phenolic compounds (75–105 mg/100 mL), total flavonoids content (average ~71 mg/100 mL), and antioxidant activity (86–88% discoloration by DPPH method). The cashew juice added from different sweeteners is a viable matrix for the probiotic, which contributes to the sensory properties of the beverage. Moreover, the sweeteners showed potential for use in low-calorie functional foods.