Pós-colheita de frutos de mandacaru colhidos em dois estádios de maturação e submetidos ao hidrorresfriamento.

Abstract

The mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru P. DC.) is a plant native to scrub and economic potential still unexplored, especially the fruit in natura. The objective of this study was to determine the postharvest quality of fruits mandacaru, harvested in two maturation stages and submitted to hydrocooling. The fruits were harvested in the rural area of the municipality of Pombal-PB and transported to the Chemistry, Biochemistry and Food Analysis Laboratory, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia Agroalimentar, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus Pombal, being selected, sanitized, classified and subjected to treatment hydrocooling (control: immersion of the fruits in water alone at room temperature, and hydrocooling: soaking the fruit in water containing ice temperature of -1 °C, for 20 minutes). After treatment, the fruits were targeted in pulp and peel, processed and carried out the physical, chemical and biochemical analyzes. The statistical analysis was applied in a factorial 2 x 2 x 2 (factor 1: with and without hydrocooling; factor 2: intermediate and mature stage, and factor 3: peel and pulp) with 5 repetitions containing 2 fruits per repetition. The hydrocooling influenced the values of soluble solids, vitamin C, pH and acidity. However, it had no decisive role in the quality of the fruit that demonstrated high levels of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids which play an important role in the body and that add nutritional value to the product.