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| Author(s): |
Marcilio Machado Morais
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica |
| Defense date: | 2005-12-19 |
| Examining board members: |
Maria Aparecida Silva;
Vania Regina Nicoletti;
Dermeval Jose Mazzini Sartori;
Florência Cecília Menegalli;
Theo Guenter Kieckbusch
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| Advisor: | Maria Aparecida Silva |
| Abstract | |
In the drying of some foods such as fruits, along with water removal there is also the evaporation of other volatile substances present in lesser amounts. When these substances possess odoriferous characteristics, the quality of the final dried product can be lowered due to aroma loss. Therefore, it is interesting to consider in the drying studies the evaporation of these volatile components other than water. The modification of atmosphere has been used only in storage, especially for vegetables, but can be extended to drying since it can influence the loss of volatile components responsible for the sensorial characteristics of the final product. In the present work, a drying equipment was developed, in which the drying atmosphere can be modified by the addition of gases or liquids. The equipment is composed of a drying tunnel with polycarbonate walls and a data acquisition and control system, allowing continuous monitoring of the sample weight and control of the drying gas temperature. Samples submitted to drying were a model-system and pineapple (Smooth Cayenne). The model-system was developed from the basic chemical composition of pineapple and the addition of other compounds, containing one of the main aroma components (ethyl hexanoate). The drying atmosphere was modified by the addition of ethanol (0,5% v/v) to air using a double-fluid atomizer, which is located in the upper part of the drying tunnel. In the experiments, the variation with time of water content and aroma components concentration, were monitored. The latter was measured by gas chromatography. An analytical methodology for determination of the aroma components in both systems was developed from the studies of aroma extraction and gas chromatography. The aroma present in the model-system was extracted with hexane and the volatile aroma components from the pineapple were extracted with ethylic ether. The modification of the atmosphere with ethanol in drying of the model-system promoted a less intense evaporation of both water and aroma component. In the experiments of pineapple drying, apparently the evaporation of aroma was more intense in modified atmosphere than in normal atmosphere (AU) | |