Natural pigments not only attribute color to food products but also provide health benefits to the consumer. Thus, different concentrations of the b-carotene and lutein were added to minimally processed fruit salads by vacuum impregnation (VI). Preliminary tests were performed to select the optimum treatment conditions (P: 500 mmHg; VI tempo: 7 min). It was found that in VI there was an average incorporation of 10.3%, while for the immersion technique this average was 4.17%.There was no significant difference (p > .05) pH, total titratable acidity, and total soluble solids between treatments and over the storage period, and a reduction in fruit firmness and the occurrence of color changes was verified. The VI time of 7 min was sufficient for 25 g of minimally processed fruit salad supplemented with b-carotene and lutein to meet the daily recommended quantity of carotenoids. Practical applicationsThe preparation of fruit salad is a viable and healthy alternative, considering the practicality offered. Acceptance of these products is directly related to appearance, where color is the characteristic initially assessed. Pigments are used to improve the appearance of products since during processing they may lose their natural color, or to make them more attractive, as well as offer health benefits related to antioxidant activity, anticancer activity, oxygen transport, and provitamin activity. However, they are easily degraded when exposed to light, heat, or pH alterations during processing and storage. It is, therefore, necessary to explore techniques that permit maximum absorption of these compounds to maintain the nutritional quality and characteristics, since their addition to the food matrix may protect them from degradation reactions. One of these technologies is vacuum impregnation, and this technique has previously been used to incorporate vitamins, minerals, and probiotic microorganisms.
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