Enzymatic treatment influence on rheological and microscopic characteristics of acerola pulp

Resumen

Fruit juice drinks consumption has been increasing considerably in the last years. In Brazil, acerola and its by-products production stands out (high vitamin C content). Researches on improvements in juice and tropical fruits derived production appeared, seeking to find better enzymatic treatments. This work studied the acerola integral pulp rheologycal variation, when submitted to enzymatic treatment, as well as the particles medium diameter variation, to obtain the best treatment conditions. Two commercial enzymes were tested: Citrozym Ultra L and Pectinex Ultra SP-L. The temperatures, enzyme concentrations and treatment times were varied. The pulp rheological and microscopic characteristics suffered alterations with the enzymatic treatment.