Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ANA BEATRIZ SILVA DE LEMOS

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANA BEATRIZ SILVA DE LEMOS
DATE: 25/09/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Sessão pública realizada por meio de Videoconferência
TITLE:

ARARUTA (Maranta arundinacea): NUTRITIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL VIABILITY OF THE RHIZOME

KEY WORDS:

Biodiversity. Edible plants. Heat treatment. Food preservation. Shelf life.

PAGES: 95
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Nutrição
SUMMARY:

Given the need for knowledge about new food sources, exploring the nutritional potential of biodiversity plants presents itself as a promising alternative. Unconventional food plants (PANC) stand out as a way to meet food demand. Arrowroot is considered a PANC with high nutritional potential and characteristics relevant to industry. Its edible part is the rhizome, rich in starch and fiber and with high technological potential. The time between planting and harvesting the rhizome varies between 10 and 12 months, which is considered a long time, making it unfeasible to market it for longer. Thus, applying thermal pretreatment after harvesting the rhizome increases the shelf life of this raw material, since it contributes to enzyme inactivation and microbiological control, aiding in conservation, as well as helping to revive the use of arrowroot rhizome as a minimally processed food, given that the rhizome is currently widely used as a raw material for starch production. The present research aimed to investigate the nutritional and technological potential of arrowroot rhizome. The research has two phases. In phase 1, the effects of different blanching conditions on arrowroot rhizome were studied in terms of mass loss, enzymatic activity, color, and firmness. In phase 2, shelf life will be determined through microbiological, physical, chemical, and technological analyses and photographic monitoring, which are currently underway. Sensory analysis of frozen raw and frozen blanched arrowroot will also be performed to assess acceptability by tasters. With the development of the first phase of the project, it was possible to define the ideal blanching condition for arrowroot rhizome, which was defined by analyzing the response surface of the variables that had a significant effect (p < 0.05). The reduction in the activity of the enzymes peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase, responsible for enzymatic darkening, was taken into account, as well as a smaller change in the firmness of the rhizome, thus preserving its texture, lower values in the total color difference (ΔE), in the difference in brightness (ΔL*) and Hue angle (hº) close to 90º. The images obtained by scanning electron microscopy helped in choosing the best combination, as they made it possible to observe which tests maintained the structural integrity of the plant tissue, also preserving the starch granules after bleaching. In addition, the chosen combination also preserved the sensory characteristics of the rhizome, a very important aspect for the consumer. The time-temperature combination defined was 4 minutes at a temperature of 80°C. The second phase is still under development to determine the shelf life of arrowroot rhizome under freezing conditions to provide longer storage time and ease of use and consequently add value to this underutilized and little-known PANC. In addition, it is expected that the results can be disseminated among the population and through scientific literature, in order to collaborate with the revival of its use and the diversification of food.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 3211846 - KARLA SUZANNE FLORENTINO DA SILVA CHAVES DAMASCENO
Interna - 1971809 - JULIANA KELLY DA SILVA MAIA
Externa à Instituição - ANNA BEATRIZ SANTANA LUZ - UFRB
Externa à Instituição - FERNANDA DE FREITAS VIRGINIO NUNES - UFRB