Enriching orange with leaf and stem juice results in a functional and nutritious beverage that protects against obesity and its associated health issues. - GreenMedInfo Summary

Obesity is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases and is interlinked with incidences of various diseases. By modulating lifestyle and food quality, obesity can be preventable. The present study investigated the ability of a novel functional beverage based on orange juice and beetroot leaf and stem juice in preventing obesity-associated health issues. To achieve this purpose, we determined the nutritive value of juices and tested their ability to prevent the effect of a high-fat diet on a rat model. Adding leaf and stem juice to orange juice increased the total soluble solids/total titratable acidity ratio, which reflects the high acceptability of the blends, and enhanced their nutritive value. All minerals increased in the blends by increasing the leaf and stem juice percentage. Copper was detected only in the juices containing 10-20% leaf and stem juice (0.01-0.11 mg/100 g). Total flavonoids and betalain increased in the blends, reaching 142.02µg/mL and 1680 µg/mL, respectively. The mixing process synergized the blends' radicals scavenging activity. The synergic antioxidant effect of orange enriched with 20% leaf and stem juice attenuated the oxidative stress induced by the high-fat diet by recovering catalase and glutathione peroxidasevalues. It also enhanced liver enzymes and lipid profile. Consequently, enriching orange with leaf and stem juice results in a functional and nutritious beverage that protects against obesity and its associated health issues.