Extração de pigmentos do pericarpo do Coffea arabica para aplicações em alimentos

Abstract

The technical feasibility of extracting natural dyes for use in food products from the pericarp (rusk) of Coffea arabica was studied. It is highlighted in this study that the use of coffee pericarp is of interest to coffee growing, and the results of some research prove the potential of its use in the food industry. Given this, the study worked with the main hypothesis that the recovery of these compounds would be viable, both technically and for the environment, so that they can be used in foods, especially as natural dyes. To this end, an experiment was carried out using the pericarp of coffee fruits dried by freeze-drying as a sample, which was extracted using a mixture of ethanol and wáter as solvent, immersed in a low-frequency ultrasound bath, following a complete factorial design (CFD) having as independent variables the mass of coffee used (g), etanol/water ratio in the solvent % (v v-1), extraction time (min.), and the response variable the amount of anthocyanins extracted (mg g-1). An analysis of the proximate composition of the freeze-dried coffee pericarp was carried out, observing that the moisture content of the samples was around 7.53%. In the statistical analysis, the results regarding the ultrasound extraction time were not statistically significant in the range studied (p > 0.05), positively influencing the amount of ethanol in the solvent and lower coffee mass in the solvent (p < 0.05). After visual analysis, it was decided to use the extract produced to produce isomalt lollipops to give the producto a caramel color, which was measured using the CIELab scale. In the end, it was found that the extract produced has a concentration of total phenolic compounds, which can confer beneficial Properties to the food to which the compound is added.