Efeitos do processamento térmico e da radiação gama na conservação de caldo de cana puro e adicionado de suco de frutas

Abstract

Sugarcane juice is a very well-known and popular beverage in Brazil, and provided it is properly exploited, it has a high market potential. The aim of this research was to evaluate the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory stability of pure sugarcane juice and mixed with fresh lemon and pineapple juice, subjected to a heat treatment (70°C/25 min) and/or gamma radiation (2.5 kGy) and stored in high density polyethylene bottles. The data were evaluated by variance analysis and their mean values compared by Tukey's test. Processing of the sugarcane juice reduced the microorganism load without significantly altering the physicochemical composition, aroma and flavor of the beverages in comparison with the control. Luminosity was higher in the product subjected to the heat treatment combined with gamma radiation than that resulting from the other treatments. The polyphenol oxidase activity in the processed beverages was significantly lower than in the control. The addition of fruit juice to the sugarcane juice did not modify the latter's physicochemical composition. However, the addition of 10% pineapple juice to the sugarcane juice increased the manganese and reduced sugars content when compared with pure sugarcane juice and with sugarcane juice mixed with 4% lemon juice.