Domestic processing and storage on the physical-chemical characteristics of acerola juice (Malpighia glabra L.).

Processamento doméstico e armazenamento nas características físico-químicas de suco de acerola (Malpighia glabra L.).

ABSTRACT

Acerola is a tropical fruit that stands out for its high content of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds. However, there is currently a lack of information on the effects of the preparation and domestic storage of fruit juices, especially that of acerola. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different liquefying times (10, 30 and 50 s) and cold storage at 4 °C for 0, 24, 48 and 72 h in domestic acerola juice. In relation to such, physicochemical determinations were performed, including pH, total titratable acidity, antioxidant potential, contents of phenolic compounds and total flavonoids in juices produced from the whole fruit, the pulp and acerola seed extracts. Whole fruit juice, liquefied for 10 s, had the highest pH and lowest acidity averages (P≤0.05). The contents of phenolic and flavonoid compounds ranged from 26.06±1.18 to 168.34±24.63 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 mL and 11.17±0.96 to 49.45±1.43 mg of catechin equivalents (CE)/100 mL, respectively. Total phenolics were higher in whole acerola juices and total flavonoids in seed extracts, both when liquefied for 50 s. The antioxidant potential ranged from 0.12±0.01 to 4.26±0.78 mmol of Trolox equivalents (TE)/100 mL, and was also higher in whole acerola juice, liquefied for 50 s (P≤0.05). The results showed that acerola pulp has higher phenolic content and antioxidant potential, while seeds have more flavonoids. The liquefying time of the whole fruit for 50 s and consumption during the first 24 h, were the best conditions tested in this study, for obtaining a juice with a high content of phenolic and antioxidant activity.

Index terms:
Antioxidant potential; phenolic compounds; flavonoids