Dados do Trabalho

Título

USE OF ULTRASOUND IN THE PROCESSING OF PINEAPPLE TEPACHE (Ananas comosus L.): IMPACT ON FERMENTATION AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Introdução

When fermented, pineapple by-products (peel and pulp) are transformed into tepache, a beverage with a pleasant taste and functional properties. This study aimed to investigate how ultrasound affects the physicochemical characteristics of tepache fermentation.

Material e Métodos

Two tepache formulations were prepared with 60% water, 30% pineapple peel, and pulp, varying in sugar addition: one with 10% granulated sugar (C) and another with 10% brown sugar (M). The formulations were treated with ultrasound (20kHz, 400W, 40°C) for 10 (US10) and 20 minutes (US20) and non-sonicated (control), totaling six treatments. All samples were incubated at 30°C for 72 hours for subsequent analysis. The design was completely randomized with two repetitions and analyses in triplicate. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the F-test. pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS) in °Brix, water activity (Aw), alcohol content (% v/v), color, and microscopy were analyzed.

Resultados e Discussão

Results showed a reduction in pH and TSS in all samples, indicating substrate fermentation and medium acidification, confirmed by increased TTA. There was no significant variation in Aw, indicating process stability and the need to monitor product shelf life. Alcohol contents varied by treatment: C samples 1.30% (control), 2.69% (US10), and 2.75% (US20), and M samples 0.61% (control), 1.25% (US10), and 1.16% (US20). All alcohol contents are typical for pineapple tepaches described in the literature (0.5% to 3%). Tepaches (C and M) treated with ultrasound (US10 and US20) showed higher alcohol contents compared to their controls, suggesting a positive influence of ultrasound treatment. C samples had higher alcohol content than M samples, indicating that granulated sugar was more easily metabolized by yeast, possibly due to greater nutrient availability. Both C and M samples exhibited a yellowish hue. C had higher luminosity (L*) and lighter tones, while M had lower luminosity and darker tones. Microscopy confirmed the presence of yeast in all samples, validating the fermentation process. The results indicate that ultrasound treatment favored fermentation and the physicochemical characteristics of tepaches, with alcohol contents within expected standards.

Conclusão

The results of this work demonstrate that ultrasound promoted physicochemical changes that favored the fermentation of tepache.