Aprovechamiento de la actividad antioxidante de Euterpe oleracea (ACAÍ) en la elaboración de un helado enriquecido con inulina.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to exploit the antioxidant activity of Euterpe oleracea (acai) in the preparation of an ice cream enriched with inulin. Ice cream samples were prepared considering two study variables: type of inulin and amount of fruit pulp. The types of inulin tested were agave and chicory at a concentration of 3% in all treatments, with a variation of 20, 40 and 60% in the amount of pulp according to the proposed experimental design, obtaining a total of 6 treatments in which the same mechanical process of churning and freezing was applied. Physical-chemical (acidity, pH, soluble solids and overrun) and sensory (colour, odour, flavour, texture, global appreciation) analyses were carried out to evaluate the effect of the study parameters on the physicochemical characteristics of the final product and on consumer acceptance. Once the best treatment was identified, the antioxidant activity and the dietary fibre content of the selected sample were measured. The average results of the physicochemical characteristics for the ice creams were: pH 4.84; value 7.8 Brix; titratable acidity 4.8; overrun 36.3%. A balanced incomplete block design was employed using a combination of SPSS and Infostat statistical packages, resulting in a significant difference between the treatments tested. Of the 6 ice cream formulations, the most outstanding was treatment T1: a1b1 (20% fruit pulp, agave inulin) with a rating between 3.9 - 4.9 which on the hedonic scale corresponded to I like it very much; with a dietary fibre content of 5.08% and an antioxidant capacity of 5.91 μmol ET/g sample. It was recommended in future studies to use the fruit in its natural state to increase the antioxidant content of acai.