Secagem em camada de espuma de manga: otimização do processo e da qualidade nutricional do pó

Abstract

Tommy Atkins mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a tropical fruit of high nutritional and economic importance, distinguished by its content of β-carotene, vitamin C, and phenolic compounds. However, its high perishability results in significant postharvest losses, making it necessary to adopt technologies that enable its preservation and value addition.In this context, the present study aimed to produce stable mango powder through foam-mat drying (FMD), evaluating the effects of different foaming agents and ethanol addition on drying kinetics and the physicochemical properties of the final product. Initially, the formulations were optimized using a Central Composite Rotational Design (CCRD), employing albumin and whey protein as foaming agents and xanthan gum as a stabilizer. The optimal conditions obtained were 8.02% whey protein without xanthan gum addition and 7.13% albumin associated with 0.54% xanthan gum, resulting in foams with low density and high stability. Drying was carried out in a convective tunnel dryer at temperatures of 50 °C and 70 °C, with and without ethanol application. The results demonstrated that increasing temperature and adding ethanol significantly accelerated water removal, reducing drying time by up to 43% for the whey protein containing formulation at 70 °C. The powders obtained were characterized in terms of moisture content, water activity, solubility, hygroscopicity, and color parameters. The ethanol-treated samples exhibited lower residual moisture content and improved drying performance, contributing to the production of powders with characteristics suitable for storage and industrial applications. The formulation containing whey protein combined with ethanol showed the most promising results in terms of process efficiency. It was concluded that the combination of foam-mat drying and ethanol application constitutes an efficient strategy for producing mango powder with suitable physical properties, contributing to the agro-industrial valorization of the fruit and to the reduction of postharvest losses.