Avaliação sensorial discriminativa e afetiva de cenoura minimamente processada contendo microcristais de curcumina como conservante natural

Abstract

The minimally processed vegetables pass through some changes during its preparation, modifying its natural form, but without changing the quality of the fresh produc. Curcumin is a compound extracted from rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa), which has important microbiological activities, such as antioxidant properties, protection against oxidative damage to cellular components and prevention of chronic diseases, however, it's insoluble in water and susceptible to factors such as oxidation, light and heat, that make it difficult to use in certain food systems. Thus, it is necessary to develop methods for of this potential use. In this study curcumin was converted into microcrystal by the precipitation method, which facilitates their application in food. The carrots were preselected, sanitized, prepered into minimally processed form and the microcrystals were applied into the carrots. Using the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), it was determined the curcumin concentration in carrots. The main objective was to determine if there was a difference between carrot samples with curcumin and without curcumin through discriminatory tests (triangular and tetrahedral) and affective tests (acceptance and purchase intent). In the triangular and tetrahedral test, it was found that the samples are not different at 5% level of significance. In the acceptance test, it was found that the two samples did not differ between themselfs at 5% level of significance, in relation to the overall impression of carrots, while the two samples have been well accepted by the tasters. The purchase intention test showed that both samples would be acquired if they were traded in the minimally processed form. It was therefore concluded, through the obtained results, that curcumin added to the carrot as a natural preservative does not cause change in the sensory quality of the product.