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SPRAY DRYING OF JUÇARA (Euterpe edulis Martius) JUICE USING DIFFERENT TYPES AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CARRIER AGENTS

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Juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius) is a fruit rich in phenolic compounds, mainly anthocyanins, with high antioxidant capacity. However, juçara is a highly perishable fruit and anthocyanins are very instable to processing and storage. In this sense, spray drying has been used as a technique to produce powdered juices, which have longer shelf life and can be used either as an ingredient or as a natural colorant in food formulations. Spray drying of fruit juices generally requires the addition of some carrier agents, aiming at reducing powder hygroscopicity and stickiness. These materials can also protect sensitive food components such as anthocyanins against unfavorable ambient conditions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different types and concentrations of carrier agents on the physicochemical properties of spray-dried juçara juice. The process was performed in a laboratory scale spray dryer Büchi 190, with a feed flow rate of 34 mL/min, inlet and outlet air temperature of 180°C and 90ºC, drying air flow rate of 700 L/h and compressor air pressure of 7 bar. Maltodextrin and gum Arabic were used as carrier agents, at juice solids:carrier agent ratios of 1:1: and 1:2. Particles were analysed with respect to anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity, bulk density, solubility and storage stability at 40ºC and relative humidity of 40% with standardized methods. Results showed that the particles produced with maltodextrin provided better anthocyanin retention, while antioxidant capacity was not significantly different (p>0,05) for the two carrier agents used. Bulk density was similar for all the samples, with values ranging from 0.38 to 0.41 g/cm3. All powders were highly soluble, with solubility values higher than 90%. Regarding anthocyanin stability, pigments only showed a significant reduction (p<0,05) in the first day of storage at 40ºC, but were stable during 60 days of storage.