Estudo do extrato aquoso do pó do caroço de açaí (Euterpe oleracea) torrado para fins de produção de bebida sabor café.

Abstract

In Brazil, more than one million tonnes of açaí (Euterpe oleracea) are produced per year, with the purpose of obtaining the fruit pulp. However, 93% of the fruit is considered waste (stone). Thus, there are several applications for the açaí stone, including the production of a beverage with a flavour and aroma similar to coffee. Due to the generation of waste in the preparation of açaí pulp, the objective of this work is to prepare a drink with aroma and flavour similar to coffee, using the roasting and grinding processes. For the development of the study, the roasting was carried out on the açaí stones, performing a 2² factorial planning, having as independent variables the time and temperature, and analysing the sample that obtained the highest degree of roasting. According to the factorial planning the percentage of the sample that had the highest degree of roasting was 35.36% and being the sample chosen to perform the grinding procedures, granulometric analysis, physicochemical characteristics and extraction. The açaí stones were ground and taken to the granulometric analysis by sieving to determine the particle size, the 28 mesh sieve with an opening of 600 mm, had the highest percentage retained of sample, with 57.24%. When compared to the parameters of coffee commercialised in Brazil, the particle size obtained for roasted and ground açaí stones is considered average. After the analyses carried out, the following values were found for the parameters of the physicochemical characterisation of the açaí stone powder: 24.01% carbohydrates, 2.47% moisture, 8.58% protein, 1.27% lipids, 0.96% ash and 62.71% fibre. The fibre and carbohydrate contents stood out, being able to have a drink that helps in the functional issues of the large intestine and a good source of energy. With the realisation of the percolation extraction process, it was possible to obtain an extractive content of 22.74%, thus having a good affinity between the solute (roasted açaí stone powder) and the solvent (water). From the aqueous extract, it was possible to determine the antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds present in the sample, being 5.62 µM FeSO4/g and 64.38 mgEAG/100g, respectively. When comparing both the determination of antioxidant activity by FRAP and the phenolic compounds present in the aqueous extract of coffee obtained in the literature, 0.62 µM FeSO4/g and 35.39 mgEAG/100g respectively, there are more significant values in the samples of roasted açaí stone powder. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that the beverage obtained from the roasted açaí stone powder serves as another alternative to replace coffee, being a beverage with a good source of energy and that can help with intestinal problems. In addition to being an option for income generation, since the main raw material is considered waste.