Aproveitamento dos resíduos da romã para elaboração de subproduto.

Abstract

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) waste represents a challenge for industries due to the significant losses generated during processing. In this context, the preparation of flour products using pomegranate peels and seeds appears as a viable alternative for reuse, avoiding waste and developing new products from waste. The research was developed at the Bioprocess Laboratory (LabBio/UFCG). Physicochemical analyses were performed on samples of in natura waste and on the processed flour products, determining: water content, pH, total soluble solids, total acidity, crude protein and fixed mineral elimination. Two drying methods were adopted to prepare the flour product for comparison purposes: convection, using an air circulation oven, and irradiation, using a microwave oven to study the drying kinetics, adjusting mathematical models to the experimental data, with the aim of predicting the time and best drying temperature/power, for dimensioning and optimizing the processes using adjustments of the mathematical models that were used in the Statistica 12 computer program. The data on the physical-chemical characterizations of the flours met the established standards, and the mathematical models had good results, with emphasis on those of Midilli et al. and Verna, with coefficients of determination higher than 0.9. The effective diffusivities of the cascades and seeds increased with the increase in temperature and power. For activation energy, the values obtained were 12.7 kJ/mol for seeds and 8.10 kJ/mol for peels in the microwave oven, and 24.58 kJ/mol for seeds and 56.10 kJ/mol for peels in the greenhouse. The microwave oven (MWO) presented faster and more direct drying, with equipment more accessible to the population and with the possibility of reproducing the process. Therefore, drying pomegranates by the irradiation method, using a microwave oven, has potential for future work in the production of food products.