Secagem da polpa do fruto do cacaueiro em camada de espuma (foam-mat drying). Parte 1

Abstract

Cocoa fruit (Theobroma cacao L) is known worldwide for being the main raw material in the manufacture of chocolates, but its use is not limited to this, it also has great potential in the development of other foods, products and cosmetics. A cocoa pulp and fruit peel are the main residues of cocoa processing for chocolate making. The use of these by-products is feasible to diversify new products. A cocoa fruit pulp has a sweet acidic taste and can be subjected to the production of juices, jellies, candies, wines and vinegars. For preservation of the nutrients present in the pulp, or foam layer drying method (foam drying), it is presented as a simple, low cost alternative capable of increasing the useful life of this pulp. Thus, the present work aimed to study the kinetics of cocoa fruit pulp drying in foam layer (foam drying). The drying experiments were designed with 2 + 3 central factorial design, totaling 11 experiments, where the independent variables were: foaming agent concentration (3, 4 and 5%); stirring time (4, 5 and 6 minutes) and drying temperature (50, 60 and 70 ° C); These variables were selected in the preliminary tests. The experiment performed under the maximum concentration conditions (6%) and the stirring time (5 minutes) and the minimum drying temperature (50 ° C) showed the foam with better stability (2.5 mL of drained volume). Area incorporation capacity and foam percentage expansion increased with increasing sparkling concentration, while density decreased. The experiment performed under the maximum drying conditions (5%, 6 min and 70 ° C) presented the shortest total drying time (180 minutes). The produced powder has an average theoretical yield of 19.49% and the post-use water activity is less than 0.4.