Desenvolvimento de bebida a base de chá mate gaseificado com jabuticaba

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a carbonated mate tea-based beverage with added jabuticaba juice. To achieve this, mate tea was prepared by infusing 10 g of roasted and aged (6 months) mate leaves in 1 L of mineral water at 100 °C for approximately 10 minutes. The juice was obtained using a steam extractor, and the liquid was stored in glass bottles. Formulations were obtained using a factorial design for the mate tea + jabuticaba juice blend. The beverage was composed of mate tea and juice in nine formulations: 60:20, 60:40, 80:20, 80:40, and 70:30, with CO2 pressure ranging from 0 to 1,2 atm. Acceptability testing was conducted with 62 untrained judges. Acceptance tests were conducted at two levels to evaluate attributes: appearance, aroma, acidity, sweetness, bitterness, astringency, body, refreshment, and overall acceptance, using a 9-point hedonic scale. The judges' trends for formulation preference were 3 (60% mate tea and 40% juice) and 5 (80% mate tea and 20% juice), with emphasis on the greater preference for formulation 3 with the highest soluble solids index (° Brix). The addition of jabuticaba juice decreased total phenolic compounds; however, despite this interference, it can be said that it showed great functional potential due to the characteristics acquired with the addition of the juice to the mate tea infusion. Regarding Principal Component Analysis (PCA), it showed that there was parity among the samples chosen by the judges. In summary, the carbonated mate tea-based beverage with added jabuticaba juice proved to be an excellent flavor option compared to traditional mate-based beverages. By exploring Brazilian native fruits, it paves the way for new flavors of cold mate tea-based beverages, also presenting commercial viability.