Efecto de la utilización de antioxidantes en la producción de un pulverizado a partir de jícama (Smallanthus sonchifolius) para la empresa HUIKUNDO S.A.

Abstract

In Ecuador, the jicama (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is an Andean root that is not industrially exploited. It has benefits for consumers due to the components it presents, since after water the major component is stored carbohydrates in the form of fructooligosaccharides, however this root has an oxidation enzymatic in its processing, and a short life of approximately 15 days. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop a jicama root spray using antioxidants in order to improve the appearance of the product for the company HUIKUNDO S.A. To effect an experimental design A*B was used, evaluating the type of antioxidants (a0: ascorbic acid, a1: citric acid) and their concentration (b0: 0.7 percent, b1: 1 percent, b2: 2 percent), in addition, a blank was made (sample without treatment) in order to identify the effect of the antioxidant on visible aspects such as color. Physical and chemical properties were evaluated as percentage of humidity, pH, percentage of ashes, apparent density and color, functional properties such as solubility and gelling capacity for the different treatments. The best treatment was chosen based on a sensory evaluation with 15 untrained tasters, evaluating the general acceptability of the product, where the best treatment was a1b0, which corresponds to the use of citric acid at 0.7 percent. The final product has a yellowish color characteristic of the pulp, with a solubility of 60.56 percent, medium and uniform granulometry, 86.19 percent of total carbohydrates and the estimated shelf life was 9 months under normal storage conditions.