Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Abstract

Maintenance of Fruit Bioactive Compounds in Jelly Candy Manufacturing by Alginate/Pectin Cold-Set Gelation

Matheus Henrique Mariz de Avelar, Letícia Nagura de Lima and Priscilla Efraim*

Enhancing the conservation of nutrients and bioactive compounds during fruit processing is desirable. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential of the alginate/pectin cold-set gelation technique in the manufacturing of jelly candies formulated with fruit pulps (blackberry, guava, mango, strawberry, and orange). A compared study between strawberry cold-set jellies (SAP) and a standard strawberry pectin jelly candy (SP) was carried out. The candies were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and sensory acceptance and were characterized by the physicochemical characteristics (instrumental texture and color, moisture content, pH, and water activity) and bioactive compounds content (ascorbic acid, total phenolic, and total anthocyanin compounds). The physicochemical characteristics of the different fruits did not influence the cold-set gelation process, which indicates the applicability of the process in a wide variety of fruits jelly candy formulations. SAP showed lower moisture content and water activity value than SP. Microscopic images showed a dense and homogeneous network with a large number of pores in cold-set jellies, differing from the sparse and micellar network of pectin candies. The bioactive compounds contents of SPA (734.08 mg ascorbic acid/100 g and 254.4 mg gallic acid/ 100 g) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the compounds of jellies obtained by the conventional process (597.4 mg ascorbic acid/100 g and 76.7 mg gallic acid/100 g). There was no significant difference (p<0.05) between the candies with any of the evaluated sensory attributes, indicating cold-set gelation as a potential technology for fruit jelly candy manufacturing with a high content of natural bioactive compounds of the fruit.

Published Date: 2020-04-30; Received Date: 2020-04-14