Production and Characterization of Dehydrated Acerola Pulp: A Comparative Study of Freeze and Refractance Window Drying

Abstract

Acerola is a perishable fruit with high vitamin C levels and an attractive nutrition property. The goal of the present work was to produce dehydrated acerola pulp with preserved vitamin C, selecting freeze-drying and refractance window (considered a novel and promising drying method) as suitable technologies. The final properties of dehydrated pulps using the drying technologies freeze-drying and refractance window were compared: i) water activity, ii)moisture content, iii) hygroscopicity, iv) color parameters, v) microstructure, vi) antioxidant activity, and vii) ascorbic acid stability (30 °C, 75% RH). The dried acerola pulps exhibited low moisture, water activity, and hygroscopicity regardless of the drying technology. However, the pulp dehydrated by refractance window presented significantly higher antioxidant activity than the freeze-dried pulp, with higher ABTS•+ (1,838.60 μM TE/g dehydrated pulp) and FRAP (1,290.00 μM TE/g dehydrated pulp) values. The ascorbic acid stability values were also higher for the pulp dried by the refractance window, which showed a final content of 98.03 mg/100 g dehydrated pulp after ten days of storage. The refractance window is a more appropriate technology to dehydrate acerola pulp with high vitamin C content, antioxidant activity, and ascorbic acid stability than freeze-drying.

Acerola (Malpighia spp.) Waste: A Sustainable Approach to Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical, and Energy Applications

“…These bioactive properties have stimulated acerola consumption as fresh fruit or as processed products processed product [6]. Regarding these characteristics, acerola has great agro-industrial potential in markets that demand products rich in nutrients and, at the same time, improve health and prevent degenerative diseases [35,36], proving there is a large amount of research published on acerola in the food industry.…”

“…It finds extensive applications in the food industry, primarily in producing natural preservatives and nutraceutical products. These attributes underscore the fruit's health benefits and enhance its market value and the potential for diverse applications of its bioactive compounds [10,35].…”

Biopolymer Development from Acerola (Malpighia spp.) Waste: A Sustainable Approach to Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical Applications and Environmental Preservation

“…Some authors, such as [11], offer a comprehensive literature analysis focusing on the compositional characteristics of the fruit and the biofunctional properties of the present phytonutrients. Chang et al (2018) and others studied the phytochemical compositions, antioxidant efficacies, and potential health benefits of acerola, among other fruits [40,6]. Belwal et al (2018) reviewed the scientific research on bioactive chemical constituents and the health-beneficial effects of acerola extracts and isolated compounds [1].…”

Biopolymer Development from Acerola (Malpighia spp.) Waste: A Sustainable Approach to Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical Applications and Environmental Preservation

“…Some authors, such as [11], offer a comprehensive literature analysis focusing on the compositional characteristics of the fruit and the biofunctional properties of the present phytonutrients. Chang et al (2018) and others studied the phytochemical compositions, antioxidant efficacies, and potential health benefits of acerola, among other fruits [6,40]. Belwal et al (2018) reviewed the scientific research on bioactive chemical constituents and the health-beneficial effects of acerola extracts and isolated compounds [1].…”

“…It finds extensive applications in the food industry, primarily in producing natural preservatives and nutraceutical products. These attributes underscore the fruit's health benefits and enhance its market value and the potential for diverse applications of its bioactive compounds [5][6][7].…”