Desidratação osmótica de figo da Índia (Opuntia fícus indica)

Abstract

The prickly pear is a fruit of cactus, whose use in food dates back to pre-Columbian civilizations, as is typical of the Americas. Its chemical composition is rich in fiber, nutrients carbohydrates and , can develop an important role in the nutrition of populations at risk of food insecurity as well as additional source of income for small farmers. But these physical and chemical characteristics make it susceptible to microbial growth and post-harvest losses, requiring the development of conservation alternatives for increasing the shelf life of the product and its use in food. Dehydration is an effective method of food preservation, and the osmotic dehydration of those cases, the principle of which takes place in a food immersion in a hypertonic solution, reducing the content of free water, flows through mass transfer between fruit and the solution, maintaining nutritional and sensory characteristics very close to the product fresh. This work studied figs cloves osmotically dehydrated in fruit to syrup 1:10, with solutions (sucrose, sucrose + sodium chloride both commercial, and glucose PA), temperature (30 ° C, 34 ° C, 40 ° C, 46 ° C and 50 ° C), immersion time (90 ', 120', 165 ', 210' and 240 ') and concentration of osmotic solution (40 ° Brix, 44 ° Brix, 50 ° Brix, 56 ° Brix and 60 ° Brix), with the concentration of sodium chloride, fixed in 3%. The best results were obtained for sucrose at 46 ° C, 210 'and 56 ° Brix (FDI = 42.79), for sucrose, for sodium chloride at 30 ° C, 165' and 50 ° Brix (FDI = 95.59) glucose and 40 ° C, 90 min. E 50 ° Brix (FDI = 108.47%). Thus the agents used glucose was what was most effective, with the processing conditions of lower cost. Thus, the osmotic dehydration of prickly pear proved to be effective and efficient way to reduce moisture in the fruit, allowing the formulation of new products and enabling its use as a source of auxiliary income for family farmrs, the main producers of this cactus in Brazil.