Potencial da variedade Joaquina para o processamento de suco clarificado e vinho seco de maçã Evaluation of apple cultivar Joaquina as raw material for juice and wine processing

Na classificação das maçãs para o comércio doméstico, uma parcela de até 30% pode ser descartada. As frutas de descarte, também chamadas de industriais, apresentam potencial tecnológico e podem ser aproveitadas na fabricação de diversos produtos, como sucos e fermentados alcoólicos. Cerca de 90% da produção brasileira de maçãs correspondem as cultivares Fuji e Gala, que apresentam baixa aptidão industrial, entretanto outras cultivares podem apresentar características que tornem o produto final com qualidade superior. Assim, foi avaliado o potencial tecnológico da cultivar Joaquina para a fabricação de suco clarificado e de vinho de maçã em comparação com as cultivares Fuji e Gala. Maçãs das cultivares Fuji e Gala foram obtidas no comercio local e da cultivar Joaquina, colocadas à disposição pela Estação Experimental de São Joaquim (Epagri). O suco clarificado e o vinho de maçã foram obtidos em bancada de laboratório com protocolos definidos. O suco varietal da Joaquina, quando comparado físico-quimicamente com os da Fuji e da Gala não diferiu significativamente, porém os julgadores em avaliação sensorial atribuíram-lhe as menores notas (3,78), com alto grau de rejeição (64%). O vinho varietal da maçã Joaquina, físico-quimicamente idêntico aos da Fuji e da Gala, foi considerado de aceitação semelhante ao da Gala (4,52) sendo o da Fuji (3,80) absolutamente rejeitado, com 67%. Assim, a maçã da variedade Joaquina pode ser usada com parcimônia no processamento de suco e com segurança na produção de vinho.The classification process of apples to domestic market, around 30% can be considered as a sub-product, but still with some economical value: they are the so-called industrial fruits. They have a very high technological potential and can be used in the processing of many food products, as apple juices and alcoholic beverage. Around 90% of the apple production are related to Fuji and Gala varieties, that by themselves show very low industrial appeal. However, there are some other apple cultivars with better industrial profile and that can be used to obtain products with high quality. The objective was to evaluate the technological potential of fruits from Joaquina cultivar concerning clarified juice and wine production and quality, comparing them with the products obtained from apples of Fuji and Gala varieties. Fuji and Gala apple cv. were acquired in local market and Joaquina cv. were received from Experimental Station of São Joaquim (Epagri). The clarified juice and the wine were processed in a laboratory scale, with an appropriate protocol. The varietal juice of the Joaquina did not differ significantly from the juices from Fuji and Gala, considering physico-chemical parameter; however, in sensorial analysis the judges gave lower scores to Fuji (3.78), with a high rejection index (64%). The varietal dry wine of the Joaquina, also identical to the reference wines of Fuji and Gala in physico-chemical terms, was considered of similar acceptance to the wine of Gala (4.52), but the wine from Fuji (3.80) was absolutely rejected (67%). The apple from Joaquina variety can be use with parsimony in the processing of juice but with confidence in the production of wine

Extraction of pectin from apple pomace

As apple-processing units are now in expansion in Brazil, industrial by-products like pomace play an important role in pectin manufacture. The objective of this article was to determine a pratical follow-up to the extraction of pectin from apple pomace and to characterize it in a laboratory, on a small scale, aiming at establishing the optimum conditions for acid extraction. The highest yields were obtained when [1]apple pomace was dried and ground to obtain an apple flour to be used as raw material, [2] citric or nitric acids were used and [3] when the citric acid concentration was 6.2 g/100 ml and the time of reaction was 153 minutes. The apple variety in itself was not significant in pectin yield. The degree of esterification (DE = 68.84 %) of the product obtained, as well as its physical looks, show the success of pectin extraction