OLIVEIRA, E. N. A.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/8785951951414869; OLIVEIRA, Emanuel Neto Alves de.
Resumo:
Umbu-eaja fruits are normally sold and consumed fresh, which can result in large postcollection
losses. An alternative to make maximum use of this fruit is to devise new
products, including jams. Thus, the aim of this study was to manufacture and assess
traditional and diet umbu-eaja jams. Ripe fruits were physically characterized and
depulped. Pulp was then submitted to physical, chemical, physicochemical and
microbiological analyses. We used 22 experimental planning with two central points to
manufacture the jams, considering the following independent variables: sugar (50, 55 and
60%), aspartame (0.055, 0.065 and 0.075%) and pectin (0.50, 1.00 and 1.50%). The jams
were characterized and submitted to sensory analysis, in order to select the two most
acceptable samples from each planning matrix to be stored for 180 days. With respect to
traditional jams, increased sugar and a reduction in pectin resulted in greater yield. A rise
in pectin and lower sugar levels led to higher extrusion force. Firmness and adhesiveness
showed no negative influence from either independent variable for traditional jam.
However, a tendency to greater firmness was observed with an increase of pectin and more
adhesiveness with a reduction. Diet jams showed no significant difference for dependent
variables. In relation to extrusion and firmness, no tendencies were detected with a
variation in aspartame; however, an increase in pectin caused a tendency to higher
extrusion and firmness values. Sensory analysis revealed that the highest acceptability
indices of traditional jams were for jams 1 and 5 and for diet jams, samples 3 and 4, all of
which were stored. In traditional jams, water content, water activity, acidity, sucrose and
yellow intensity decreased with storage, while pH, Brix and reducing sugars increased
under the same conditions. For diet jams, reducing sugars, luminosity, and yellow intensity
declined with storage, and pH, water activity and °Brix/acid ratio were higher. Employing
umbu-eaja to manufacture traditional and diet jams is a viable alternative for using surplus
production, in addition to introducing a new product into the market.