molecules Article Cellulose as a Delivery System of Raspberry Juice Volatiles and Their Stability Josipa Vukoja 1, Anita Pichler 1, Ivana Ivi´c 1, Josip Šimunovi´c 2 and Mirela Kopjar 1,* 1 Faculty of Food Technology, Josip Juraj Strosmayer University, F. Kuhaˇca18, 31000 Osijek, Croatia;
[email protected] (J.V.);
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[email protected] (I.I.) 2 Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA;
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[email protected] Academic Editors: Encarna Gómez-Plaza and Rocio Gil-Muñoz Received: 8 May 2020; Accepted: 3 June 2020; Published: 5 June 2020 Abstract: Formulation of delivery systems for active ingredients is of increasing importance for the food industry. For that purpose, we selected cellulose as a carrier polymer of raspberry volatiles. Freeze-dried cellulose/raspberry complexes were prepared by complexation of raspberry juice (constant amount) and cellulose (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%). In our study, cellulose was shown as a good carrier of raspberry juice volatiles. Thirty-nine volatiles were detected in raspberry juice while 11 of them were lost during preparation of the complexes. Berry flavor note was the dominant one in raspberry juice (40% of overall flavor), followed by citrus and woody notes (each around 18% of overall flavor) and floral, fruity, and green (each around 8% of overall flavor). Cellulose/raspberry complexes had different flavor profiles, but a berry flavor note was still the dominant one in all complexes. These results suggest an efficient plant-based approach to produce value-added cellulose/volatile dry complexes with possible utility as food flavoring ingredients.