Sensory, nutritional and technological aspects of the development of pressurized tropical mixed juice.

Consumer study, Tropical fruits, Bioactive compounds. Natural aromas, Bioaccessibility.

The change in lifestyle due to consumer's increase interest by healthier foods has led industry and academia to seek alternatives through of the technological process and the development of mixed juices in order to obtain drinks with better functional characteristics. The aim of the thesis was to develop pressurized tropical mixed juice based on cashew apple with low sugar content using sensory, nutritional and technological aspects as guiding development. To this end, five studies were carried out. The first evaluated the consumer's perception of fruit juices processed by different technologies and the effect of Food Technology neophobia (FTN) on the consumer's perception of the product. The second evaluated the consumer's perception of cashew apple juice, identified the other tropical fruits to compose the mixed juice and evaluated the to liking expectation, as well as the sensorial acceptance of the suggested mixtures in order to identify the most consumer 'appreciated tropical mixed juice. The third study formulated the mixed tropical juice of cashew apple, acerola and melon with low sugar content through a mixture design using sensory and nutritional aspects and investigated the addition of aromas as a strategy for increasing the perception of sweetness and the effect on sensory characteristics. The fourth study investigated the effect of different technological processes: control (unprocessed), pasteurization (90 ° C / 1 min) and high hydrostatic pressure (HPP: 300-500MPa for 5 and 10 min) on microbiological, physical-chemical characteristics and sensory characteristics of tropical mixed juice of cashew apple, acerola and melon during storage at 4 ± 2 °C. In addition, also evaluated the effect of processes on bioaccessibility of vitamin C through in vitro digestion. The last study investigated the effect of information on the processing technology and formulation of juice on consumer's choice, as well as exploring the moderating effect of FTN in those choices. The results of the 1st. a study showed that the Brazilian consumers' perception regarding to manufactured products by processing technologies were associated with processed and unhealthy products, including APH. FTN affected consumers' perceptions and the juices processed by conventional and innovative technologies were perceived more negatively among participants with high FTN than than those with low or medium levels of neophobia. The 2nd. a study revealed that cashew juice was perceived as "tasty" and "refreshing"; therefore, with potential to be used in the development of mixed juice with low sugar content. On the other hand, it represented a challenge since it was also associated with a “Sweet” and “Astringent” product. The fruits most suggested for composing the mixed juice with cashew were pineapple, Brazilian cherry (acerola), passion fruit and melon.The results of the evaluation of liking expectations and sensory acceptance identified the mixture “cashew apple, melon and acerola” with the potential to be successful in the market. In the the development of the formulation (3rd study) the results showed that the addition of sugar and fruit concentrations influenced the acceptance and sensory characteristics of the formulations. Samples with no added sugar and with a higher melon concentration were significantly less accepted by consumers. The addition of aromas to the mixed tropical juice significantly affected the sensory characteristics and did not increase the perceived sweetness. The pasteurization and HPP (300-500MPa / 5 and 10 min) affected the quality of the tropical mixed juice during storage and the best responses in relation to the functional characteristics were presented by pasteurized juices; however, they showed greater changes in sensory characteristics. For HPP juices, minor changes in functional characteristics were verified for juices processed at 500MPa / 5 and 10 min, during storage. All evaluated processes significantly improved the bioaccessibility of vitamin C compared to the control juice. The latest study to conclude that at the time of purchase, the information "no added sugar", "no preservatives" and "Cold pressed" and "Pressurized juice" had a positive effect on consumer' choices, whereas the "not pressurized" had a negative effect. As in the 1st. study, FTN affected the choice of participants. The main difference between groups of consumers with different level of neophobia was was related to the effect of information about juice processing. In particular, HPP had a positive effect on the choice of juices only for consumers with low FTN. In addition, the results indicated that factors that associate the product as healthier and more natural have an important role in consumer preference and choice, whereas the influence of information on processing technology depended heavily on FTN.