Efeito de diferentes embalagens na estabilidade de estruturados mistos de manga e cajá adicionados de extrato bioativo do coproduto de caju

Abstract

Brazil is one of the world's largest fruit producers. However, within production logistics there are flaws that lead to large quantities of fruit being wasted. Therefore, it is necessary to use methods and technologies that aim to reduce these losses. Among the technologies that have been studied is the creation of structured fruits. This process is based on the use of fruit pulp(s) with a hydrocolloid agent, obtaining a product that remains similar to the physical-chemical, nutritional and sensory characteristics of the fruit(s) used. in nature. With regard to the development of new food products, the establishment of shelf life and the choice of packaging are important parts to evaluate the main factors that influence the quality of the product, aiming at its ommercialization. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of mixed mango and cashew structured with the addition of cashew co-product extract packaged in different packaging. This work was divided into three parts. The first stage consisted of marketing research with individuals from the city of Fortaleza-CE and the Metropolitan Region (RM), with the aim of collecting data on socioeconomic conditions, fruit consumption, as well as knowledge about fruit structures, product presentation, degree of interest, choice of name and type of packaging to be used in its marketing and the attributes present in the food product that more or less influence the moment of purchase. The second part was obtaining the bioactive extract from the cashew co-product. The fibers were dried in an oven at a temperature of 40ºC for 48h and then the compounds were extracted using a hydroalcoholic solution in an ultrasonic bath with consequent removal of the ethanol, obtaining the pure extract. Physicochemical analyzes were carried out (moisture, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids and color), ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity by ABTS and DPPH methods in addition to antimicrobial activity by agar diffusion. In the last stage, the mango and cajá structures were prepared with the cashew co-product extract. In the formulation, commercial pulps of cajá and mango (35%), extract (24%), sugar (5%) and the hydrocolloid gellan gum (1%) were used. The mixture was subjected to a temperature of 90ºC for 2 minutes, placed in silicone molds until they solidified. Then, the samples were placed in the packaging chosen by the market research participants (polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging covered with a layer of aluminum) and kept under refrigeration. The samples were analyzed weekly over a period of 60 days in relation to physicochemical characteristics, ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, bioaccessibility, syneresis and icrobiological analysis. Sensory analysis was carried out on newly prepared samples and after 30 days. 412 responses were obtained for the marketing research, of which the largest portion are female individuals, aged between 30-39 years old, with income between 1 and less than 4 minimum wages. It was found that 67% of participants were not aware of fruit structures, however, they showed interest in consuming them. The term “fruit bar” was the best evaluated as a commercial name and the most accepted packaging was transparent cellophane-type plastic and laminated packaging with a transparent face. The terms considered the most important in the purchase decision were the expiration date, nutritional table, list of ingredients, health benefits and allergen warnings. The cashew co-product extract showed high humidity, soluble solids of 8.4ºBrix, pH value of 3.59, total acidity of 0.41g of citric acid/100g and orange color according to the CIELAB system. The extract also presented a concentration of 53.16mg of ascorbic acid, 164.26mg of EAG/100g and antioxidant activity for the ABTS and DPPH radicals at values of 8.9 µM Trolox/g and EC50 6.65g DPPH respectively. Regarding antimicrobial activity, strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were moderately sensitive and the bacteria Salmonella enteretidis were sensitive to the extract. There were no significant differences in relation to the physical-chemical characteristics of the structured products packed in polyethylene (EP) and laminated (EL) packaging. The water activity value of the samples was above 0.9 for both packages. The pH, soluble solids and titratable acidity of the EP samples were 3.46, 12.89ºBrix, and 0.81g of citric acid/100g. The values of these parameters for the EL samples were, in that order, 3.47, 12.81ºBrix and 0.79g of citric acid/100g. The color of the samples was between yellow and orange. There was no variation in the concentration of phenolic compounds, being 93.67mg of EAG/100g for EP and 90.13mg of EAG/100g for EL. There was variation in the value of ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity. The percentage of syneresis was 66%. There was no difference in the percentage of bioaccessibility of samples from both packages. The microbial load was in accordance with legislation, with no difference between the EP and EL samples. There was no significant difference in relation to the acceptance test of samples from the two packages by the tasters. Therefore, both types of packaging have the potential to be used as commercial packaging for this type of product.