Possibilities for Utilization of Cherry Products (Juice and Pomace) in Beer Production

Fruit addition can enrich beer with flavor and bioactive substances. Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) can be added in beer as a whole fruit, fruit juice, or pulp, but there is no data for the addition of cherry pomace in beer. Therefore, we investigated the addition of cherry juice and pomace during beer fermentation on the first and seventh day and studied the basic beer parameters (alcohol and extract), sensorial evaluation, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity of the beers produced, measured using six different methods (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, ORAC, and HORAC) and compared the results with a control sample without cherry products addition. The results showed a strong correlation between the antioxidant activity values obtained using the DPPH, FRAP, CUPRAC, and HORAC methods and the concentration of phenolic compounds in the studied beers. The phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity increased when cherries juice or pomace were added. The increase was much more significant when pomace was used. Therefore, it can be concluded that cherry pomace addition is a better option than cherry juice for beer production because of the increased content of bioactive compounds and the sustainability of the beers obtained.