Otimização do processo de produção da aguardente de algaroba e aproveitamento dos resíduos sólidos em produtos alimentares.

Abstract

The world is focused more and more on rapid population growth rate and on the urgent need to increase the food supply without harming the environment. This study has as its objective the optimization of the production steps of cachaça from carob {Prosopsis juliflora Sw DC) and use of the resulting residuals as food products. Prior studies indicate the presence of fermentable sugars in carob fruit that could lead to high yields of cachaça. Based on these prerequisites, this study evaluated raw material, operational procedures, and the system of utilization applied to the residue during the principle stages of carob liquor production. In the first stage, the carob pods were characterized. In the second stage, a system of sugar extraction was developed. The extraction methodology was divided into various steps: selection, weighing, sanitization, fragmentation, hydration, compression, and centrifugation. In the third stage, the substratum was standardized and submitted in simple batches to submerged fermentation in a system formed by seven polyethylene reactors. The process was composed of the following steps: inoculant preparation, inoculation, and kinetic study of the variables involved in the process (Total Reducing Sugars, Biomass, Total Soluble Solids, Temperature, Acidity, pH, and Alcohol content). In the alcoholic fermentation study, a multifactorial analysis was applied to evaluate the influence of three different concentrations of the variables Total Soluble Solids and the fermenting agent on the following results: productivity, thereoretical yield, biomass yield, and percent conversion. The fermenting agents included a line of yeast selected from the carob substrate (ALG-3) and a line of commercial yeast. The yeast lines that were used were centrifuged, distilled, and later distilled again to produce the cachaça. The final product was stored in large polyethelene bottles until the removal of samples for physical-chemical, chromatographic and organoleptic analyses. The solid fraction (residual), resulting from the extraction, was dried, ground, sifted, and transformed into flour. The flour that presented the best properties was submitted to baking tests to produce loaf bread. The cachaça that resulted from the commercial yeast reached an industrial yield of 56.40% while the ALG3 was 40.80% Organoleptically, the cachaças produced with the commercial yeast and the ALG3 did not present significant differences at the 5% level of probability. The bread loaves made with a concentration of 10% carob flour had the best acceptance when compared to the loaves tested containing 5% and 15%. According to the results, we conclude that one could use either of the yeasts tested in the study without causing any rejection from consumers.