Food additives having enlarged concentration of phenolics extracted from fruits and vegetables and process of obtaining the same

Plant phenolics are extracted from macerated fruits and vegetables, particularly from apple peels and apple cores, by agitating the macerated fruit material with hot water of sufficiently high temperature to deactivate naturally present polyphenol oxidase enzyme. The aqueous extract of plant phenolics is separated from the bulk of solid fruit material by physical means, such as filtration. The aqueous extract is treated with pectinase enzyme to remove substantially all pectin, where after the pectinase enzyme is deactivated by heat. The plant phenolics are adsorbed from the depectinized aqueous extract by treatment with solid polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) adsorbent, and the plant phenolics are eluted from the adsorbent by treatment with a nutritionally acceptable base, such as sodium hydroxide. The resulting aqueous solution of plant phenolics is concentrated or spray-dried and the resulting concentrated liquid or solid products are used as food supplements, and as additives to beverages and other food items, to provide the beverage or food item with a quantity of plant phenolics which is at least comparable to and which may exceed the plant phenolic contents of natural apple juice.