POLPA DE COCO VERDE (Cocos nucifera Linn) NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DE ALIMENTOS: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

Abstract

Green coconut (Coco nucifera L.) is a food of great economic value and cultural importance for many countries. Its popularity and pleasant taste make its consumption expand, whether for its derivatives or natural product, such as coconut water, whose trade is abundant in coastal cities. To the detriment of the water bottling trade, its pulp is wasted, impacting the environment for many years. Green coconut pulp is a nutritious food, so it is necessary to carry out actions for the use of the pulp, especially considering the scenario of food and nutritional insecurity faced today. Actions for its valorization are little documented in the literature and that can be built through the knowledge and tools of Food Science and Technology and Gastronomy. With these arguments, this work has as its main objective to carry out a systematic integrative review of the literature to know the scientific production on the development of products from the solid albumen of green coconut in Food Science and Technology and Gastronomy. The bibliographic survey was carried out in Scopus and Web of Science databases and the academic Google search engine, between 2012 and 2022 years. Using defined keywords, 227 studies were identified and 05 articles were selected after applying the eligibility criteria. The articles are about the development of a fruit jelly, a germinated rice ice cream and another coconut ice cream, a smoothie-type fruit drink, and a meat product, with the solid albumen of the green coconut. The articles were analyzed and the results were discussed through the strengths and points of improvement identified. The data indicate that green coconut pulp has innovative technological characteristics for the food industry, such as an emulsifying profile, low-fat content, and the ability to positively change textural properties, add moisture, offer nutrients, and act as a substitute for dairy products. All proposals were submitted to sensory analysis, and mostly positive evaluations were obtained with the solid albumen of green coconut. Finally, the authors point out the applicability of fruit pulp as feasible for the development of new products and to combat waste.