The consumption of plant-based beverages is a growing trend and, consequently, the search for alternative plant sources, the improvement of beverage quality and the use of their by-products, acquire great interest. Thus, the purpose of this work was to characterize the composition (nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidant activity) of the Brazil nut (BN), its whole beverage (WBM), water-soluble beverage (BM-S), and its by-products of the beverage production: cake, sediment fraction (BM-D), and fat fraction (BM-F). In this study, advanced methodologies for the analysis of the components were employed to assess HPLC-ESI-QTOF (phenolic compounds), GC (fatty acids), and MALDI-TOF/TOF (proteins and peptides). The production of WBM was based on a hot water extraction process, and the production of BM-S includes an additional centrifugation step. The BN showed an interesting nutritional quality and outstanding content of unsaturated fatty acids. The investigation found the following in the composition of the BN: phenolic compounds (mainly flavan-3-ols as Catechin (and glycosides or derivatives), Epicatechin (and glycosides or derivatives), Quercetin and Myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside, hydroxybenzoic acids as Gallic acid (and derivatives), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, ellagic acid, Vanillic acid, p-Coumaric acid and Ferulic acid, bioactive minor lipid components (β-Sitosterol, γ-Tocopherol, α-Tocopherol and squalene), and a high level of selenium. In beverages, WBM had a higher lipid content than BM-S, a factor that influenced the energy characteristics and the content of bioactive minor lipid components. The level of phenolic compounds and selenium were outstanding in both beverages. Hydrothermal processing can promote some lipolysis, with an increase in free fatty acids and monoglycerides content. In by-products, the BM-F stood out due to its bioactive minor lipid components, the BM-D showed a highlight in protein and mineral contents, and the cake retained important nutrients and phytochemicals from the BN. In general, the BN and its beverages are healthy foods, and its by-products could be used to obtain healthy ingredients with appreciable biological activities (such as antioxidant activity).

The effect of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) on the inactivation of Escherichia coli and the stability of the quality properties of Brazil nut beverages were studied. E. coli was used as target microorganism to validate the HPH process (pressures from 50 to 180 MPa and inlet temperatures (Ti) from 25 to 75 °C). Cold storage (5 °C) for 21 days was conducted to establish the shelf-life of BN beverages, in terms of their microbiological, physical, physicochemical, and sensorial stability. HPH-treated samples were compared to pasteurized BN beverages (63 °C for 20 min). The combination of Ti and the pressure of the HPH process (50 to 150 MPa/75 °C and 180 MPa/25 °C) had a significant effect on E. coli inactivation (8.2 log CFU/mL). During storage at 5 °C, the growth of mesophilic aerobes in processed BN beverages was controlled by the HPH process. Oxidative stability (TBAR assay) and physicochemical properties (pH, acidity, and °Brix) were evaluated during cold storage, showing good stability. Additionally, HPH-treated beverages showed a reduction in their particle size and the formation of more stable protein aggregates, which favored the beverages’ whiteness (color). The HPH process could be an alternative to pasteurization to obtain Brazil nut beverages with an acceptable microbiological shelf life (≥21 days at 5 °C) and high-quality characteristics without the use of any additives.

High-pressure homogenization (HPH) is an emerging technology for obtaining physical and microbial stability of plant-based milks, but there is little information on the effects of this technology on the phytochemical components of the processed plant food beverage and during its cold storage. The effect of three selected HPH treatments (180 MPa/25 °C, 150 MPa/55 °C, and 50 MPa/75 °C) and pasteurization (PAS) (63 °C, 20 min) on minor lipid constituents, total proteins, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, and essential minerals of Brazil nut beverage (BNB) were studied. Additionally, the study of the possible changes in these constituents was carried out during cold storage at 5 °C for 21 days. The fatty acid profile (dominated by oleic acid and linoleic acid), free fatty acid content, protein, and essential minerals (notable source of Se and Cu) of the processed BNB remained almost stable to treatments (HPH and PAS). Specifically, reductions in squalene (22.7 to 26.4%) and γ-γ-tocopherol (28.4 to 36%) were observed in beverages processed via both non-thermal HPH and thermal PAS, but β-sitosterol remained unchanged. Total phenolics were reduced (24 to 30%) after both treatments, a factor that influenced the observed antioxidant capacity. The studied individual phenolics in BNB were gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, catechin gallate, and ellagic acid, being the most abundant compounds. During cold storage (5 °C) up to 21 days, changes in the content of phytochemicals, minerals, and total proteins were not noticeable for any treated beverages, and no lipolysis processes were promoted. Therefore, after the application of HPH processing, Brazil nut beverage (BNB) maintained almost unaltered levels of bioactive compounds, essential minerals, total protein, and oxidative stability, remarkable characteristics for its potential development as a functional food.