ABSTRACT
Yellow mombin has high nutritional value but is very perishable. Foam mat drying is a method that has been widely used to preserve liquid and semi-solid powdered foods. In this context, the aim of this study was to determine desorption isotherms and isosteric heat of yellow mombin (Spondias mombin L.) foam for different conditions of temperature and water activity. Powdered yellow mombin pulp was obtained by drying in forced-air oven regulated to 60 ° C. The indirect static method was used to determine the isotherms and isosteric heat, whereas water activity (aw) was determined using the Hygropalm-HP23AW-A analyzer. A B.O.D. incubator, set at 10, 20, 30 and 40 °C, was used to control the temperature, and the water activity for each temperature was between 0.220 and 0.832. The experimental data were fitted to mathematical models frequently used to represent the hygroscopicity of agricultural products, and the best model was the Modified Halsey. Integral isosteric heat of desorption of yellow mombin powder, within the water content range of 17.22 to 57.58 (% d.b.), ranged from 3198.56 to 2598.38 kJ kg-1. It was concluded that the equilibrium water content of yellow mombin pulp powder increased with the increment in water activity; desorption isotherms obtained for yellow mombin pulp powder showed sigmoid form and, with the reduction of water content, the isosteric heat increases.
Key words:
water activity; isosteric heat; hygroscopicity; mathematical modeling; Spondias mombin L.
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