The restructured fruit made with concentrated papaya pulp (700 g/kg), sugar (340 g/kg), sodium alginate (7 g/kg), low methoxy pectin (7 g/kg) and glycerol (50 g/kg), cut in a solid cylindrical form (volume approx. 2 cm³), dehydrated (12% humidity) and covered with icing sugar, was chosen for the shelf life studies. The physical, chemical, sensory and microbiological analyses were made on the product packaged in a multi layer film and stored at 0, 25 and 35 °C, for 120 days to check for quality loss. The results showed that the firmness (TA.XT2 Texturometer) and the subjective evaluations of texture and overall quality were the evaluation that best explained the quality loss of the restructured fruit during storage. Under accelerated conditions (35 °C) the product was considered adequate for consumption for up to 56 days, when it reached 4.5 (neither liked nor disliked) from the overall quality scale of the sensorial test. The kinetic values, Ea= 19,89 kcal/mol and Q10= 3, established using accelerated shelf life testing, allowed for the estimation of a shelf life of 168 days for the product at 25 °C. Under normal storage conditions, the shelf life of the product being estimated as 154 days based on the overall quality using the sensory results.
stability; fruit pulp; texturization; sensorial evaluation
