Subtropical region cambuci accessions: characterization and jam processing potential

Abstract

The consumption of the cambuci in nature is limited due to the strong acidity and astringency of its fruits, and in view of the various accesses that can currently be cultivated, it is of great importance to study the cambuci processing in the form of products such as jams, as well as to survey which accessions are more suitable for processing. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize different cambuci accesses (7240, 7225, 7262, 7292 and 7278) and to evaluate their influence on the physicochemical characteristics, rheological properties and sensory acceptance of jam in order to identify the access with the highest potential for industrial use. To characterize the different cambuci accessions, analyzes of length, diameter, unit mass, firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, SS/total acidity (ratio) and color (L*, a* and b*) were performed on fresh fruit. The different accessions were also analyzed for the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity (DPPH and β-carotene method) and vitamin C. In the jellies obtained from different accessions, analyzes of soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, color (L*, a* and b*), besides the sensorial analysis and texture profile were performed. Although the physicochemical characteristics of cambuci indicate that this fruit is not suitable for fresh consumption, due to the high acidity (0.64-1.41 g citric acid.100 g-1) and low sweetness (1.33-2.67 ºBrix), it was verified that the cambuci processing is extremely feasible, in particular the accesses 7240, 7278 and 7225, since the resulting jam has shown good sensory acceptance. In addition, it was verified that cambuci is a very nutritional rich fruit, being considered an excellent source of phenolic compounds (331.74-1134.54 mg GAEs.100 g-1), presenting a high antioxidant activity (DPPH- 83.06 to 97.18% of sequestration and beta-carotene 87.02 to 94.56% of protection) and a high vitamin C content (98.67- 128.80 mg.100 g-1).