Secagem de resíduo do pseudofruto do cajueiro para produção de farinhas.

Abstract

Aiming to reduce the waste of agricultural products and reduce the impact on the environment, the reuse of industrial agricultural waste is of great importance for the economic sector. Thus, the production of flour should be considered as an alternative for waste reuse, since its processing is achieved with the use of drying, presenting nutritional advantages in relation to the content of nutrients such as vitamins, fibers and minerals, among others. To this end, the drying of the cashew pseudofruit waste was performed at four different temperatures (40, 50, 60 and 70oC) in an air circulating oven, characterizing both the raw material and its flour (dry product) in relation to the physicochemical parameters (pH, total titratable acidity, water content, ash, soluble solids, protein, lipids, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and water activity. It was found that the drying of the cashew pseudofruit residue occurs at a decreasing rate. The drying time of the residue was influenced by the temperature. The Halsey model best represented the desorption isotherms of the cashew pseudofruit residue. The water activity and acidity were within the standards for adequate storage. The flours presented a high content of protein, fiber and ash. The drying process minimizes environmental problems and at the same time provides the obtainment of a product with added value with several commercial applications.