| Summary: | The effects of supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> processing on the chemical stability of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and other functional and nutritional compounds were evaluated employing non-thermal and thermal approaches. Apple juice was enriched with <i>Pfaffia glomerata</i> roots aqueous extract due to its high content of short-chain FOS and then subjected to different levels of temperature (40 and 60 °C), pressure (8 and 21 MPa), and CO<sub>2</sub> volume ratio (20 and 50%). The percentage of CO<sub>2</sub> volume was evaluated concerning the total volume of the high-pressure reactor. Also, the functional beverage was thermally treated at 105 °C for 10 min. Physicochemical properties (pH and soluble solid content), beta-ecdysone, sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), and FOS (1-kestose, nystose, and fructofuranosylnystose) content were determined. The pH and soluble solid content did not modify after all treatments. The pressure and CO<sub>2</sub> volume ratio did not influence the FOS content and their chemical profile, however, the temperature increase from 40 to 60 °C increased the nystose and fructofuranosylnystose content. High-temperature thermal processing favored the hydrolysis of 1-kestose and reduced the sucrose content. Regarding beta-ecdysone, its content remained constant after all stabilization treatments demonstrating thus its high chemical stability. Our results demonstrated that supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> technology is a promising technique for the stabilization of FOS-rich beverages since the molecular structures of these fructans were preserved, thus maintaining their prebiotic functionality.
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