AMARAL, D. S.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/9131995962916679; AMARAL, Denise Silva do.
Résumé:
The dried fruit industry has been growing worldwide in recent years and has
enormous potential to be exploited in Brazil. In order to walk in line with this progress, this
research was conducted with the aim to develop techniques for obtaining strips of dried
coconut Bahia. We used two different maturation stages (semi-ripe and ripe), pre-treatment
in sucrose solutions at three concentrations (25, 35 and 45°Brix) and drying in a tray dryer
at three temperatures (50, 60 and 70 °C) data were treated according to the models of
Henderson and Pabis; Midilli, Page and Thompson. We calculated the physicochemical
characterization of coconut strips before (fresh) and after each process step. The data of
physical-chemical analysis were treated according to completely randomized design with
three replications for each step of the process of osmotic dehydration and drying. These
tests used the program ASSISTAT 7.0, Beta. Texture analysis were made of strips of
processed coconut tests for fiber rupture, evaluation of firmness and resistance to traction,
in which the equipment was used TAXTplus - Texture Analyser "Stable Micro System.
With products made there was the sensory analysis, using a 5-point hedonic scale to
evaluate the attributes of appearance, color, aroma and flavor, where tests were applied for
acceptance and purchase intent. The data were interpreted by analysis of variance and
means were compared by applying the Tukey test. From this research, the main
conclusions were: a higher sucrose concentration and drying temperature favors a higher
removal of water in osmotic dehydration and drying, respectively, for the same drying
temperature, the concentration of sucrose in the solution of osmotic pretreatment did not
influence on the drying time of the strips of coconut, Midilli between models, and Page
Thompson, the Page model best represents the experimental data of drying, with a
correlation coefficient close to 1, the pH of the product produced in all treatments were
greater than 4.5 and are considered low acid foods, sugars showed a significant increase
after osmotic pre-treatment and after drying, for both maturity stages, mature coconut
strips, dehydrated in sucrose solution 45 °Brix and dried at 70 °C was the product of more
resolute, whose force required to compress 80% of the sample was up to 472.18 N, so the
sample firmer: Strips coconut semi-mature in most treatments, offered higher tensile
strength of fibers (penetration), when compared between the same treatments, with strips
of ripe coconut; in both stages of maturation the maximum tensile strength were offered by
dried at 70 ° C and the lowest strength was for strips pretreated coir in the sucrose solution
at 35 ° Brix and dry at 50 ° C. which was 17.25 N. For the two maturation stages of the
coconut, the most accepted samples were also those who had the highest percentage for
purchase intent, they are: strips of coconut semi-mature and mature pretreated in sucrose
solution at 45 ° Brix and dried at 60 and 70 ° C, respectively. And the strips were less
accepted semi-mature coconut pretreated in sucrose solution at 25 ° Brix and dried at 50 °C