Dados do Trabalho

Título

CONVECTIVE DRYING OF CAMBUCÁ PULP (PLINIA EDULIS (VELL.) SOBRAL) AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES: PROCESS EVALUATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF DEHYDRATED PULP

Introdução

Cambucá pulp is known for its high moisture content, complex aroma, sweet taste and pronounced acidity, which makes it sensorially similar to jabuticaba. Given that cambucá is a little-known native fruit and is at risk of extinction, convective drying can contribute both to its preservation and to the creation of new products or ingredients, expanding its commercialization and increasing the value added to this unique species. This study aimed to perform convective drying of cambucá pulp at different temperatures and characterize it afterwards.

Material e Métodos

The pulp was dried in an air circulation dryer at 50, 60, and 70 ºC (air velocity = 0.51 m.s-1; thickness = 0.4 cm), and the process parameters were evaluated based on kinetics curves data. The dehydrated pulp was analyzed for water activity (Aw), instrumental color and difference color (ΔE), oil retention capacity (ORC), water retention capacity (WRC), and water solubility index (WSI).

Resultados e Discussão

Drying time (min) and drying rate (g of water.g dry solids.min-1) were directly proportional to the temperature: 50ºC (390 min; 0.033), 60ºC (285 min; 0.044), and 70ºC (255 min; 0.057). The dehydrated pulps had final moisture contents below 0.16 g water.g dry solids-1 and Aw below 0.43, indicating a highly stable dehydrated product. Regarding technological properties, the dried pulps showed WRC four to five times higher than ORC, suggesting a more significant hydrophilic potential, possibly due to the high intrinsic sugar content of the matrix. These sugars are the main soluble compounds related to the WSI of the dehydrated matrix: 50ºC (36.01%), 60ºC (39.5%), and 70ºC (32.7%). On the CIELAB scale, the dehydrated pulps showed a* values tending towards red and b* values towards yellow, as did the orange fresh pulp, but the L* values indicated darker samples. The ΔE was very different from the fresh pulp, especially at 50ºC (28.88), followed by 70ºC (21.63) and 60ºC (19.07), possibly due to the degradation of carotenoids or the Maillard reaction. Convective drying proved to be a viable technology for cambucá pulp, resulting in a stable, potentially hydrophilic product or ingredient with a preserved orange color, which could be applied to the food industry.