Caracterização físico-química e bioquímica de mucilagem de palma colhida em duas estações do ano no semiárido brasileiro

Abstract

Prickly pear cactus mucilage can be applied in several areas of the industry, as it is a natural source of polysaccharides. Some studies have already shown that many environmental factors (air temperature and humidity, solar radiation and water availability) alter the properties of mucilage from prickly pear cactus. Thus, the objective of this work was to carry out a physical-chemical and biochemical characterization of the mucilage of three clones, in two seasons and under cold storage for 12 days. The work was carried out in Serra Talhada-PE. The mucilage was extracted in ethanol (99.8%) with the aid of a multiprocessor, and was dried in an oven, then hydrated and maintained at 5 ° C for 12 days. The powder yield was quantified and the following analyzes were conducted, on day zero and at 12 days: total soluble solids, soluble carbohydrates, pH, titratable acidity, vitamin C content, sodium and potassium content, electrical conductivity, total phenolic compounds, total soluble proteins and infrared spectroscopy. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with four replications. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and when significant they were subjected to the Tukey test, at 5% probability. In addition, a principal component analysis was carried out in order to study the relationships between the physical-chemical data for each group of samples. There was a difference in the physical-chemical and biochemical composition of the palm harvested in both seasons, in addition to changes in storage. The mucilage obtained from cladodes collected from the three clones in the dry season had higher yield, soluble solids, total soluble carbohydrates and K+ content. The spectroscopic profile was similar for all studied clones, varying only the intensity of the observed peaks. It is concluded that the physical-chemical and biochemical composition of the mucilage varies according to the clone and the season, therefore they must be considered in the production of mucilage for the food industry.