Obtenção e caracterização físico-química de fermentados tipo espumante de abacaxi e melaço saborizados com menta

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest producers of pineapple, ranking third in the world, and the state of Paraíba is second in the national pineapple ranking. One of the biggest problems in pineapple growing is the large proportion of fruit that is discarded because it does not meet the specifications required by the consumer market for fresh consumption. Currently, one of the proposals for using these fruits is industrial processing, using them as raw materials in the manufacture of food products, pharmaceuticals and the production of fermented alcoholic beverages. In addition to pineapple growing, the state of Paraíba is also home to sugar and alcohol industries, which is a widespread market. The processing of sugar cane generates industrial waste, one of which is molasses. The aim of this work was to obtain and characterize the physicochemical properties of sparkling fruit fermented from pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merril) with molasses and flavored with mint (Mentha spicata) in order to propose a solution for the use of rejected pineapples and surplus molasses from sugar production. After making the must, the first fermentation process took place, then it was fractionated into four parts and mint was added to the 3 g/L, 6 g/L and 9 g/L formulations, leaving one of the fractions without mint for comparison, and then the second fermentation took place using the Champenoise method. The kinetics of the fermentation process of the beverages produced were monitored through physicochemical analysis, both of the ferment obtained as a result of the first fermentation and of the carbonated ferment obtained as a result of the second fermentation. The kinetic variations during the fermentation processes were observed and, in the end, alcoholic fermentation were obtained which had different TSS for each formulation, varying between 5.0 and 5.7 °Brix, obtaining an alcohol content of 11 °GL for the formulation without mint and 10.1 °GL for the formulations with added mint. A variation in pH values was observed, ranging from 3.39 to 3.53 and remaining acidic, presenting a favorable environment for the yeast. Reducing sugars were above 3 g/L, which according to Brazilian legislation classifies a fruit ferment as sweet or soft, and the internal pressure was above the minimum 4 atm required by law, classifying the ferment as a sparkling fruit ferment.