Abstract
The chemical, functional and sensory properties of carob juice compared with grape juice were evaluated. Composition results showed that carob pods contained high concentrations of carbohydrate and phytochemicals, moderate amounts of proteins and fiber, and low amounts of fat and ash. Phytochemical results showed that carob particle and powder juices had significantly higher total phenolic (19.8 and 20.3 mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/g, respectively) and tannin (4.3 and 4.5 mg catechin equivalents [CE]/g, respectively) contents than grape juice (6.2 mg GAE/g and 0.43 mg CE/g), while grape juice was higher in IC50 (10.8 mg/mL) than carob particles and powder juices (9.1 and 9.4 mg/mL, respectively). Descriptive results showed minor differences between grape and carob juices. In terms of consumer evaluation, the carob juices were similar to grape juice despite small differences especially in carob particle juice. Although carob juice is not traditionally considered as grape juice, it was found to be of acceptable overall quality.