Estabilidade da vitamina C em cagaita in natura e durante a estocagem da polpa e refresco

Abstract

Fruits of cagaita, in different degrees of maturation (unripe, semi-ripe and ripe), their pulp and juice were evaluated considering the pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids and stability of vitamin C. The pulp was frozen and stored at -18°C, for four months, and analyzed once a month. The juice was refrigerated at 4ºC, during the test period (24 hours), and analyzed five times (0, 2, 4, 6, and 24 hours). Vitamin C contents were 26.84 mg/ 100 g, 20.21 mg/100 g and 27.46 mg/100 g for the unripe, semiripe and ripe fruits, respectively. In the period of storage, there were slight differences between the initial and the final values of pH and soluble solids, for frozen pulp and refrigerated juice, while the vitamin C content showed a considerable reduction. The storage of frozen pulp, for four months, and refrigerated juice, for 24 hours, under experimental conditions, adversely affected the vitamin C content, decreasing it in 33.7% and 56.2%, respectively.