Extraction, bromelain activity and analysis of some chemical parameters in pineapple varieties from paraíba

Abstract

Due to the risks and limitations which has come from exclusive cultivation of Pérola and Smooth Cayenne - pineapple plant - and aiming genetic variability, the state of Paraiba provides diversified genetic material cultivating the hybrids Emepa - 01, Imperial and MD-2 pineapple varieties. Aiming the biochemical characterization of those new hybrids, some biochemical parameters were determined: pulp and rind of those cultivars including bromelain activity. Smooth Cayenne pineapple had introduced the smallest pH (3,44 for pulp and 3,91 for rind) and the biggest titled acidity (0,56g of citric acid for 100g of pulp and 0,52g of citric acid for 100g of rind), being the most acid cultivar. Among the pulps the Pérola and the Smooth Cayenne varieties presented levels of reduced, non-reduced and total sugar significantly higher (p<0,05) than the hybrids, in spite of having more elevated values (bigger than 30,00) of the ratio of soluble solids to titled acidity, consequently resulted on a better acceptation by consumers. The crude extract of the Imperial cultivar had the biggest proteolytic activity and protein content in the pulp (56,41 U/mL and 7,50 mg of protein/mL) as well as in the rind (68,56 U/mL and 10,40 mg of protein/mL). For the specific activity, the rind of Pérola pineapple (10,01 U/mg of protein) provided more significantly elevated value (p<0,05) than those ones observed in the other samples. However, the pulp from Imperial cultivar (7,49 U/ mg of protein) presented considerably superior activity if compared to the rest.