Pol. J.Food Nutr. Sci., 2019, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 307–317 DOI: 10.31883/pjfns/111405 http://journal.pan.olsztyn.pl Original research article Section: Food Quality and Functionality © Copyright by Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences © 2019 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). INTRODUCTION Latest research indicates the global alcohol consumption to decline in recent years. However, this decrease has been found to result from the fact that more aware consumers search for novel, special, and valuable products characterized by interesting and diversified flavors [Podstawski et al., 2017; Muggah & McSweeney, 2017]. For this reason, products that have exceptional sensory attributes and also valuable compo- sition seem to respond to these needs. Fermented fruit bever- ages represent an interesting group of products considering their sensory diversity and their multiple health-promoting compounds which exhibit various biological activities like, e.g.: phenolics, vitamins, organic acids or carotenoids [Cu- sano et al., 2018; Escudero-López et al., 2018]. In turn, apples are commonly available fruits, whose global production accounts for ca. 77.3 million tons annually (data for 2017/2018), [USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 2017]. Apart from the production of juices, one of the sig- nificant sectors of apple processing includes the manufacture of ciders, i.e. natural fermented alcoholic beverages produced as a result of apple must fermentation, containing from 1.2 to * Corresponding Author: Tel.: +4871 323-9417; E-mail: kinga.adamenko@upwr.edu.pl (K. Adamenko) 8.5%v/v of ethanol and exhibiting antioxidative and antimi- crobial activities [Verdu et al., 2013]. Apples, which are the ba- sic ingredients in cider production, contain a wide spectrum of polyphenolic compounds and dietary fiber; in addition they exert a bacteriostatic effect and prevent digestive system disorders [Condezo-Hoyos et al., 2014]. Considering their exceptional values and their availability, in this study we pro- duced novel alcoholic beverages with the addition of Corne- lian cherry fruits characterized by a very high content of natu- ral antioxidants compared to other fruits. Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) is a fruit growing wild in Europe and Asia. It may be consumed fresh or may be pro- cessed to produce liqueurs, juices, jams, concentrates or al- coholic beverages [Kucharska et al., 2007; Kucharska, 2012; Sokół-Łętowska et al., 2014; Bozdogan, 2017]. Numerous investigations have proved Cornelian cherry fruits and prod- ucts made of them to be characterized by an exceptionally rich phenolics composition [De Biaggi et al., 2018], and by other health-promoting properties like e.g. hypocholesterolemic [Hosseinpour et al., 2017] or anti-inflammatory ones [Mol- dovan et al., 2016]. Regular consumption of small amounts of natural fermented beverages rich in antioxidants may supplement an everyday fruit-vegetable diet. This study was aimed at developing a production technology for apple-Cor- nelian cherry low-alcoholic beverage with strong antioxidative Fruit Low-Alcoholic Beverages with High Contents of Iridoids and Phenolics from Apple and Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) Fermented with Saccharomyces bayanus Kinga Adamenko 1, *, Joanna Kawa-Rygielska 1 , Alicja Z. Kucharska 2 , Narcyz Piórecki 3,4 1 Department of Fermentation and Cereals Technology, Faculty of Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chełmońskiego 37, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland; 2 Department of Fruit, Vegetable and Plant Nutraceutical Technology, Faculty of Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chełmońskiego 37, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland; 3 Arboretum and Institute of Physiography in Bolestraszyce, 37-700 Przemyśl, Poland; 4 Faculty of Physical Education, University of Rzeszów, Towarnickiego 3, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland Key words: phenolics, iridoids, antioxidants, alcoholic beverages, natural products, Cornelian cherry In this study, we produced novel, natural and fermented apple-Cornelian cherry beverages rich in natural antioxidants. These products were exam- ined for their physicochemical parameters, and antioxidative properties as well as subjected to the quantitative and qualitative identification of iridoids and phenolics. The highest concentration of total phenolics determined with the Folin-Ciocialteu method (964.28 mg GAE/L) and the strongest anti- oxidative properties measured with the DPPH • , ABTS •+ , and FRAP tests (7.90, 11.04, and 12.86 mmol TE/L) were determined in the beverages with the addition of juice from red-fruit Cornelian cherry. The most numerous group of compounds in the analyzed beverages were iridoids, with loganic acid (LA) found to predominate (424 mg/L). Results obtained demonstrate that the addition of juice from Cornelian cherry fruits during the produc- tion of fermented apple beverages causes a significant increase in their antioxidative properties, modifies their phenolics profile, and allows enriching them with iridoids.