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High-pressure technologies are among those with increased interest in the sustainable production of quality-enhanced food products. In this work, Ortanique mandarin juices have been submitted to traditional pasteurization conditions (time/temperature of 65 °C/15 s, 85 °C/15 s and 92 °C/30 s) and energy-saving high-pressure homogenization (HPH, 150 MPa) treatments to compare the effects on the physicochemical composition and in vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids and flavonoids. In general, physicochemical attributes of the homogenized sample were similar to those found in fresh juice, with similar ascorbic acid content and cloudiness but with significant colour differences in all cases. The bioaccessibility of total carotenoids was similar in fresh and pasteurized juices in contrast to the HPH sample that exhibited a five-fold increase, which suggests a positive effect of particle size reduction to favour the action of digestive enzymes. A clear increase in the levels of epoxycarotenoids was detected in the micellar fractions of digested HPH juices, although such carotenoids are not detected in human fluids or tissues. Regarding the bioaccessibility of flavonoids, no significant differences were found in the samples studied. Results obtained can help the implementation of HPH processing to obtain natural beverages with enhanced nutritional properties. Junta de Andalucía P11-AGR-7783, CAROTINCO-P12-AGR-1287 Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria RTA2014-00034-C04

Los pigmentos carotenoides son compuestos responsables de la coloración de gran número de alimentos vegetales y animales, como zanahorias, zumo de naranja, tomates, salmón y yema del huevo. Desde hace muchos años, se sabe que algunos de estos compuestos, como a y b-caroteno, así como la b-criptoxantina, son provitaminas A. No obstante, estudios recientes han puesto de manifiesto las propiedades antioxidantes de estos pigmentos, así como su eficacia en la prevención de ciertas enfermedades del ser humano, como la aterosclerosis o incluso el cáncer. Todo ello ha hecho que desde un punto de vista nutricional, el interés por estos pigmentos se haya incrementado notoriamente. Carotenoids are responsible for the colour of a great number of both vegetable and animal foods, such as carrots, orange juice, tomato, salmon and egg yolk. It has been known for many years that some of these compounds, such as a and b -carotene, as well as b -cryptoxanthin, are provitamins A. However, recent studies have shown the antioxidant properties of these compounds and their efficiency in the prevention of certain human diseases, such as atherosclerosis or cancer. Because of all this, the interest in these compounds has increased substantially from a nutritional point of view.