Cinética de secagem da polpa da goiaba em camada de espuma.

Abstract

Guava is a tropical climacteric fruit that has high transpiration rate and loss of post- harvest mass. The food industry seeks innovations that can promote the use and increasing of the niche market for relatively known foods. The drying process is of great importance to this industry, because it favors the preservation of food with quality and low-cost production. This work aims at analyzing the drying kinetics process of pulp guava (Psidium guajava L.) by the method of foam layer drying, evaluating the quality of the final product through the physico-chemical characterization. The experimental design presented as input variables the temperature employed during the drying and beating time required for foaming. As output variables, ascorbic acid and acidity. In order to verify the conditions used in the experiment, the data were adjusted using mathematical models of Lewis, Page, Henderson & Pabis and Logarithmic. Then, the powdered pulp was characterized. Through the modeling, it was possible to demonstrate that the conditions used in the procedure were appropriate, once the data satisfactorily set the analyzed models. It was also found that the pulp in natura used is in accordance with the standards required by law and that the powder obtained is consistent with other researches, thus proving that, at the end of the experiment, a product with quality was obtained.