| Resumo: |
Consumers are increasingly concerned about a healthier and more practical diet. Thus, the food industry is investing in new technologies that provide food less processed and free of chemical preservatives. The main conservation technology used by the fruit juice industry is the heat treatment that affects the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of foods due to the heat applied. Therefore, non-thermal technologies that use other conservation methods are being studied. The objective of this work was to study the effects of the application of ultrasound, ozone and pulsed light on the bioactive compounds of cashew juice and compare them to the effects of the heat treatment. The results showed that the antioxidant capacity of cashew juice increased by 28% (3043 µM ascorbic acid equivalent), whereas the antioxidant capacity of cashew juice increased significantly (p <0,05) by 372,93 W/cm2, 20 °C, 10 min, while the heat treatment reduced that capacity by the same percentage (1685 µM ascorbic acid equivalent). The content of yellow flavonoids increased by 24% (0,46 mg/100 mL) and vitamin C was preserved in all ultrasonic assays. The activity of peroxidase, the enzyme responsible for darkening in fruit juices, decreased by 90%. Ozone applied at the concentration of 0,24 mgO3/mL retained the antioxidant activity (2263 µM ascorbic acid equivalent). The enzymatic activity of peroxidase was reduced by 90%. However, this technology decreased (p <0,05) the flavonoids and vitamin C of cashew juice. However, the pulsed light technology applied at the intensity of 1 J/cm2 increased (p <0,05) the antioxidant activity by 40% (2280,2 µM ascorbic acid equivalent). The results for flavonoids and vitamin C demonstrated that the processing retained the initial concentrations of these compounds. The enzymatic activity of peroxidase decreased by 32%. Therefore, it can be concluded that these technologies can be used alone or in combination with other treatments in the processing of cashew juice to improve the preservation of its natural characteristics. |
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