Physicochemical and Bioactive Stability of a Beetroot–Tarragon Microgreen Beverage During Refrigerated Storage

What if your beetroot juice could keep its vibrant color and even boost its antioxidant power while sitting in the fridge? A new study shows that adding tarragon microgreens might be the secret.

Consumers crave plant-based drinks that are both visually appealing and packed with health benefits. Microgreens, those tiny nutrient-dense seedlings, could be the answer. Researchers developed a beetroot–tarragon microgreen beverage using hydroalcoholic extracts from a green extraction approach, then tracked its stability over 15 days in the fridge at 4 ± 2 °C.

The drink was low in fat and energy, but its water activity was close to 1.00—meaning safety depended on pasteurization and cold storage. Good news: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were absent. Total aerobic mesophilic counts reached 104–105 CFU/g, with slightly lower numbers when tarragon was included.

Color told a fascinating story. Beetroot alone faded over time due to betalain loss, but the beetroot–tarragon blend showed an impressive protective effect—the reduction in E* was more than 80 percentage points lower than in the beetroot-only drink. Even better, the antioxidant capacity (measured by ABTS) increased by about 37% between day 1 and day 10 in the mixed beverage.

This suggests that combining beetroot and tarragon microgreens can create a refrigerated plant-based drink that's not only stable and safe but also keeps its color and boosts its antioxidant punch over time.

Key Points

• Beetroot–tarragon beverage stable for 15 days at 4 °C
• Tarragon protects color, reducing fading by over 80 points
• Antioxidant activity rises 37% by day 10