Regarding the different steps through which the beverages pass in the digestion process, salivary addition enhances the release of carotenoids independently of the SR concentration. However, gastric and intestinal digestions lead to a decrease in the carotenoid content of around 15% and 21% respectively with regard to the undigested sample, without significant differences between the three formulations. Indeed, carotenoids are more sensitive to acidic than alkaline conditions (Rodríguez-Amaya, 2010). This is why the decrease was higher during the gastric phase. This was also confirmed by Wright, Pietrangelo, and MacNaughton (2008), who showed increased b-carotene transfer to the aqueous phase under higher pH conditions.