Estudo do processo de produção de jambo desidratado sob aplicação de ultrassom.

Abstract

Drying is a way to preserve fruits. Drying processes are simple techniques that can be used to perverse the fruits after harvest. Pre-treatments can be applied prior to the drying process to enhance the sensory quality of the fruit leading to a higher acceptability of the fruit by the costumers. Osmotic dehydration and sonification are forms of pre-treatments that can be applied, with great success, by small producers without requiring high investments. The drying process and the pre-treatment have two main goals: to preserve the fruit and to add value to the product. The dehydrated fruit has a commercial value around R$ 35,00 to R$ 100,00 per kg, while the price of the in natura product would be of R$ 9,00 (papaya) to R$ 30,00 (sapota)/kg (in dry basis). Most studies on fruit culture deals with traditional fruits that have a very high production and market and that are sold both internally and externally. Regional fruits (exotic fruits) have not received much attention by researchers. However, these fruits can be commercially sold as exotic fruits and may provide a considerable gain for the producer. Brazil, especially in the North and Northeast regions, has a wide variety of fruits, most of them produced in small properties. Fruits like sapota, siriguela, graviola, mangaba, genipap, malay apple (jambu) and several other that can be commercially explored. The sensory quality of the dried fruit is changed during processing and has to be studied as to be accepted by the costumers.