Obtención de una bebida hidroalcohólica de coco (Cocos nucifera L.) y hierba buena (Mentha Spicata) mediante la maceración asistida por microondas con ajuste de potencia

Abstract

Alcoholic beverages, as well as hydro-alcoholic beverages in Ecuadorian culture are part of the customs and traditions, both in rural and urban areas, and their consumption is linked to traditional festivities and social group meetings. To obtain the beverage, three microwave-assisted maceration treatments were carried out with three different powers: 5 minutes at 500 W, 10 minutes at 700 W and 20 minutes at 900 W for coconut; and 1 minute at 500 W, 3 minutes at 700 W and 5 minutes at 900 W for hierba buena. The samples were analysed by infrared spectrometry to determine the best macerates, obtaining that the treatment of 20 minutes at 900 W was the best for coconut, and 5 minutes at 900 W for sweet grass, as they had a higher content of phenolic compounds. The two macerates were mixed to obtain four samples and syrup was added. The four treatments were: 55 percent macerate with 45 percent syrup, 60 percent macerate with 40 percent syrup, 62 percent macerate with 38 percent syrup and 65 percent macerate with 35 percent syrup, which were submitted to a panel of 32 tasters. The best treatment was the one with 65 percent macerate and 35 percent syrup, to which physical-chemical analyses were performed according to the Standard (NTE INEN 1837, 2016), obtaining a beverage with excellent organoleptic characteristics and within the standard.