Amongst tropical fruits, the pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.), still little studied, shows great sensory appeal and excellent vitamin quality, due to its high carotenoid level. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of pitanga pulp during frozen storage (-18°C) with respect to the following parameters: pH, total titratable acidity, soluble and total solids, total and reducing sugars and sensory acceptance determined after 0, 30, 60 and 90 days, and total carotenoid contents and instrumental colour measured after 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days. The reaction kinetics for the degradation of the colour parameter a* adjusted better to a 1 order kinetic model (R² =91.69%), whereas the total difference in colour (deltaE*) adjusted better to a zero order kinetic model (R² =91.91%). In the sensory analysis, the attribute of appearance varied significantly (p<0.05) after 90 days of frozen storage. Thus there was a marked fall in sensory acceptance and in the positive attitude towards buying of the nectar formulated with pitanga pulp stored for 90 days at -18°C.
Eugenia uniflora L.; frozen; stability; colour; sensory analysis
