Desidratação da polpa de buriti e armazenamento do produto seco.

Abstract

This aim of this work was dehydrate the buriti pulp and to evaluate its behavior in storage conditions. The pulp was drying in stove in temperatures of 50, 60 and 70 °C and the dry material was triturated for to obtain the samples in powder forms. The drying curves were fítted with the Page, Henderson & Pabis and Henderson models. The powder was submitted at 90 days stored period, at room temperature, in two packing types, polyethylene and laminated. The in natura pulp was characterized as for physiochemical parameters. The physiochemical characterization of the powder was accomplished in the start of storage, repeating the analyses each 15 days. The hygroscopic behavior of the powder was evaluated, determining the moisture adsorption isotherms in temperatures of 10, 20, 30 and 40 °C, and the curves fítted by the Peleg, GAB and Smith models. The characteristics analysed in the in natura pulp and the powder product were pH, titratable acidity, moisture, total soluble solids (°Brix), reducers sugars, ash and color (L*, a*, b*). The physiochemical characterization of the in natura pulp result in average values of 77.25% for moisture; 0.80% for ashes; 0.98% for reducers sugars; 0.28% for titratable acidity; 9.80 °Brix for total soluble solids; 3.70 for pH; 42.07 for brightness (L*); +18.27 for redness (+a*) and +33.67 for yellowness (+b*). The powder product presented, in relation to the in natura pulp, increase in the acidity, in the ash content, in the reducers sugars and the total soluble solids (°Brix) content. Also increases of the redness and yellowness were verified, and inferiors values of brightness in relation to the in natura pulp. In the study of the stability of the physiochemical characteristics parameters of the powder during the storage period was observed at the end of the time of study, a better stability in the samples stored in laminated packing, above ali in relation to moisture. The Henderson, Page and Henderson & Pabis models were well fítting to the experimental data of drying. For the fittings of the isotherms, the application of the Peleg and GAB models result in good fittings.