Desenvolvimento e estabilidade de bebidas mistas não alcoólicas à base de frutos e hortaliças.

Abstract

Consumers have been looking for healthier foods that provide a higher quality of life due to their nutritional and functional characteristics, caused by the presence of compounds such as vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Mixed beverages have been used in order to improve the nutritional characteristics of certain juices, by complementing nutrients provided by different fruits and increasing the nutritional characteristics of different juices. The objective of this study was to develop and process mixed beverage formulations, characterize physicochemical properties, bioactive components, antioxidants, sensory acceptance, and evaluate their stability. The study was subdivided into two experiments. The first experiment evaluated six different formulations of mixed beverages in the proportion of 40% pulp and vegetables, using pineapple, melon, castanet, mint, hibiscus powder and ginger root as raw materials, and 60% mineral water. After the development of the six formulations of the mixed drinks, they were submitted to physicochemical, bioactive, antioxidant and sensory evaluations. The second experiment was based on the best results of the sensory evaluation of experiment I and the three formulations with the best acceptance were chosen to be stored for 0, 10, 20, 30 days under refrigeration conditions (~10 oC). Evaluations during storage were performed every 10 days regarding physicochemical characteristics and bioactive components. And every 15 days for microbiological evaluations. For both experiments, a completely randomized design was used and the results were submitted to analysis of variance. When significance was detected for the F test, the data were compared using Tukey's test at the 5% probability level. Based on the results of chapter II, it was found that the mixed beverage formulations developed presented positive sensory attributes, achieving a good acceptance among the tasters, especially the F1, F3 and F4 formulations. The characterization of the pulps of the fruits and vegetables used in the formulations yields good results for the physicochemical characteristics and bioactive components. There was a significant variation in the physicochemical characteristics during the storage period, verifying that the F1 and F4 formulations showed better quality during storage, especially for the pH and acidity values, within the desired limits to avoid product spoilage and ensure its food safety. Based on the experiment in chapter III, it was observed that the formulations of the mixed beverages showed significant variations in the levels of bioactive compounds over the storage periods. There was a tendency for these compounds to degrade,

2 Orientadores: Prof. Adriana Ferreira dos Santos, Dra; Maíra Felinto Lopes, Dra. x

especially after 30 days of storage, possibly due to exposure to light, oxygen and intrinsic characteristics of the formulations. Despite the lower values than in some previous studies, the formulations remained within the established microbiological standards, evidencing the efficacy of the hygiene practices adopted. In this way, it highlights the importance of the choice of formulations and storage conditions in the preservation of bioactive compounds and in ensuring the microbiological quality of the final products.