Uso de Abelmoschus esculentus L. na elaboração de produto lácteo fermentado funcional

Abstract

The species Abelmoschus esculentus L. is a vegetable of the Malvaceae family, widely cultivated in regions of the tropics and subtropics, known as okra. In cooking, they are usually consumed in kitchens, cooked or roasted and and its mucilage is rich in polysaccharides with important biological activities and also properties that can improve the texture of foods. In the present study, yogurt was prepared with the addition of aqueous extract of okra, with functional properties. The fruits of Albelmoschus esculentus L. were acquired in Hortfrut in the city of Campina Grande - PB. After cleaning, the seeds were removed from the fruits, cut and immersed in water at a ratio of 1:2.5 (w v-1), kept under heating at a temperature above 85 ○C, followed by filtration and storage for later use. Yogurt was prepared with the starter culture of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus. A study was carried out to verify the influences of the input variables (extract concentration, incubation temperature, and powdered milk concentration) on the titratable acidity, cell number and texture profile responses using a 23 factorial design with three repetitions at the central point, through which it was found that the best conditions for obtaining yogurt were a temperature of 47 ○C, 7.5% extract and 15% powdered milk. After choosing the best conditions, the product was prepared and subjected to analysis of acidity, proximate composition, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity after fermentation and during 21 days of refrigerated storage at 4 ○C. The yogurt showed 8.45 log CFU g-1 of Streptococcus thermophilus and 6.61 log CFU g-1 of Lactobacillus bulgaricus after 3 hours of fermentation, which remained viable during the 21 days of storage. The yogurt produced presented 4.08 g 100 g-1 of protein, 1.08 g 100 g-1 of ash, 79.89% of moisture and 14.95 g 100 g-1 of carbohydrates. Acidity ranged from 0.62 to 0.93 g of lactic acid 100 g-1 during storage. The antioxidant capacity of yogurt during storage ranged from 1.35 to 0.925 g of DPPH mg-1. The aqueous extract of okra added phenolic compounds to the milk after fermentation (14.54 mg GAE 100 g-1) representing an increase of 105.66% in the content of phenolic compounds of yogurt in relation to pure milk. The results show that the aqueous extract of okra contributed to the functional properties of yogurt, adding nutrients and bioactive compounds, but did not influence the texture profile of the product. More studies can be carried out to optimize obtaining the extract and apply it in dairy products.