Coformulation with Mulberry and Hawthorn Masks the Bitterness of Exocarpium Citri Grandis While Retaining Its In Vitro Antioxidant Activity
This study developed a palatable, antioxidant-rich beverage by co-formulating the bitter Exocarpium Citri Grandis with mulberry and hawthorn juices, successfully masking its bitterness while retaining its functional properties.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the world of food and medicine, there exists a long-standing tension between what tastes good and what is good for you. Many plants that offer powerful health benefits, such as fighting inflammation or protecting cells from damage, also contain compounds that make them taste intensely bitter. This bitterness is often a natural defense mechanism for the plant, but for humans, it is a barrier to consumption. When a substance is too bitter, people simply will not drink it or eat it, no matter how healthy it might be. Scientists have long sought ways to remove this bitterness without destroying the beneficial chemicals inside, often turning to enzymes or special filters. However, these methods can be complex, expensive, or risk stripping away the very nutrients that make the plant valuable in the first place. A simpler approach lies in the kitchen itself: mixing the bitter ingredient with other foods that have strong, pleasant flavors to mask the unpleasant taste while keeping the health benefits intact.
This is the challenge researchers at Shunde Polytechnic University and Panyu Central Hospital set out to solve with a specific plant known as Huajuhong, or the dried peel of a large citrus fruit called Citrus grandis. For centuries, this peel has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with coughs and inflammation. In 2024, it was officially added to a national list of substances that are safe to use as both food and medicine, opening the door for it to be sold in drinks and snacks. However, the peel is dominated by a chemical called naringin, which is so bitter that even a tiny amount can ruin the flavor of a beverage. The researchers wanted to create a drink that kept the health benefits of the Huajuhong peel but removed the bitter taste that would otherwise make it unpalatable. They decided to test a strategy of blending the bitter peel extract with two other fruits that are also recognized as both food and medicine: mulberry and hawthorn.
The team began by making a simple water-based extract from the dried Huajuhong peel. They then mixed this bitter liquid with juices made from fresh mulberries and hawthorn berries, along with some sugar to balance the flavors. Mulberries were chosen because they are naturally sweet, rich in colorful pigments, and packed with antioxidants, while hawthorn berries offer a sharp, fruity sourness that is known to aid digestion. The goal was to see if the sweetness of the mulberry and the tartness of the hawthorn could hide the bitterness of the citrus peel without washing away its medicinal properties. To find the perfect recipe, the researchers first tested different amounts of each ingredient on their own. They discovered that adding too much of the citrus peel made the drink unbearably bitter, while adding too much mulberry made the other flavors disappear. They found that a specific balance was needed: the citrus peel provided the health boost, the mulberry added sweetness and color, and the hawthorn provided a necessary tang.
To refine this balance, the scientists used a systematic testing method to try out nine different combinations of the four main ingredients: the citrus extract, mulberry juice, hawthorn juice, and sugar. They asked a trained group of people to taste each version and rate it on a scale of zero to one hundred based on aroma, bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and overall enjoyment. The results pointed to a specific winning formula: a drink made of 11 percent citrus peel extract, 35 percent mulberry juice, 25 percent hawthorn juice, and 8 percent sugar. This mixture received a high score of 88 out of 100, indicating that the tasters found it pleasant and well-balanced. The researchers noted that sugar and the amount of mulberry juice were the most important factors in determining whether the drink tasted good or not.
To ensure that the drink truly tasted better and not just that the human tasters were being polite, the team used an electronic tongue, a machine equipped with sensors that can detect taste qualities like bitterness, sourness, and sweetness with high precision. The machine confirmed what the humans had felt: the final drink was significantly less bitter and less astringent than the raw citrus extract alone. The machine also detected that the drink had a richer, more complex flavor profile than the bitter starting material. Crucially, the electronic tongue showed that the drink was distinct from any single ingredient, proving that the blending process created a new, unified taste experience rather than just a mixture of separate flavors.
Finally, the researchers needed to verify that the drink was still healthy after the flavors were mixed and the liquid was heated to kill any bacteria. They tested the drink's ability to neutralize harmful molecules known as free radicals, which is a standard way to measure antioxidant power. The results showed that the final beverage retained a strong ability to fight these harmful molecules, performing just as well as the raw citrus extract in one test and showing strong activity in another. This proved that the process of blending the fruits and heating the drink did not destroy the beneficial chemicals. The study concludes that by carefully mixing Huajuhong with mulberry and hawthorn, it is possible to create a stable, clear, and tasty drink that keeps the medicinal value of the bitter citrus peel while making it enjoyable enough for people to actually consume.
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