Desenvolvimento e avaliação da composição química de smoothies de açaí adicionados da biomassa de Spirulina (Arthrospira maxima)

Abstract

In the last decades, changes to feeding habits and society life style is responsible for a increasce in the search for low processing and nutrient rich food. In this context, the alimentary industry is focused in introduce raw material that increasce the nutritional content of the food and on the development of practical products that are healthy to the consumer. The Arthrospira maxima biomass is a promissing ingredient due to its nutritional value, around 50 - 70 % of proteins in its composition, beside several minerals and anti-inflamatory and antioxidants composts. In this manner, the objective of this study was to develop powder formulations destined to the production of açaí smoothies, with the addition of micro-algae A. maxima biomass, aiming for a technological inovation in the search of a more nutritious alimentation. Initially, there were developed drinks prototype with 5% and 10% microalgae addition, those analyzed for protheic content, lipids, ash, humidity and carbohydrates. The formulation of 10% added microalgae was the most promissing in the nutritional aspect, but presented technological difficulties due to the microalgea characteristic flavor and smell. So, the A. maxima biomass content was reduced in the formulations and the microalgea growth was optimized under the following conditions: temperature of 30 °C ± 2 °C, irradiance of 120 μmol of fótons.m-2.s-1 and 12:12h luminosity of light:dark. Under those conditions, the A. maxima biomass presented a mineral and proteic content of respectively, 71,2 % and 12,69 %.The formulation were then ajusted in such manner to allow the development of the final formulations (smoothies) with different flavours (natural, banana and banana with guaraná), elaborated with the finality of combining the nutritional benefits of the microalgae biomass and açaí, with the sensorial charateristics that are desirable by the consumer. The formulations were analyzed for the total proteic content, lipids, ashes, humidity, pH, soluble fibers and phenolic compounds colour instrumentation. All of them stood out for presenting a significative proteic and mineral content increasce, when compared to its controls. The proteic content in the smoothies varied from 5,87 % to 7,22 %, representing an increasce bigger then 70 % in the proteic content of the formulation when compared to its controls. The pH of the formulations could be characterized as acid, once presented values lower then 4,7, what could represent an important barrier against the growth of microorganisms. In respect to the 10 instrumental colour, the total difference between the control formulation and the smoothies varied from 10,47 to 12,13, showing an evident change of colour when adding A. maxima biomass, since the ΔE* change was bigger then 5,0. Two anthocyanins were identified in the formulations, possibly cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside.The quantification revealed no significant difference in anthocyanin content between the control samples and the smoothies, with total values ranging from 34.6 to 36.1 mg/100 g. Therefore, it was perceveid that the addition of A. maxima biomass promoted a significative increasce in the nutritional quality of the drinks, and even though the microalgae presents characteristics that could cause impact on fundamental attributes for the consumer acceptance, it presents great potential to employed in health product, offering significative nutritional benefits.