Caracterização e estabilidade da mucilagem de Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck: um estudo comparativo sob diferentes aspectos agronômicos

Abstract

The mucilage of forange Palm has great applicability in several areas, especially in the food area, and it has shown to be promising for being a natural source of polysaccharides. Recent studies have demonstrated that the environmental conditions of the Nopalea and Opuntia clones changed the physicochemical composition of the mucilage. In this sense, it was aimed to conduct a physicochemical characterization of the Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck mucilage, hydrated and conserved under refrigeration, extracted from cladodes harvested with different sizes and different times. Two studies were performed, in the first one the cladodes were collected at 6 am in two sizes (100 to 230 mm) and (240 to 300 mm), and the size between 100 and 230 mm was defined as the most adequate, with it was carried the second study out in which cladodes were collected at two specific times (6 am and 8 pm). The cladodes were collected in the experimental area of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco / Academic Unit of Serra Talhada (UFRPE / UAST) and transported to the laboratory of the Graduate and Post-graduating Program in Plant Production at UFRPE / UAST to obtain mucilage. Succeeding obtaining the mucilage, it was hydrated and stored at 5° C for 12 days. The yield of mucilage powder was quantified after processing and the following analyzes were performed at the beginning of the experiment and after 12 days: total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, electrical conductivity, and sodium and potassium content, vitamin C, carbohydrates, and total proteins and infrared spectroscopy. The experiments were arranged in a completely randomized design, each of which was carried out in a 2x2 factorial scheme, with four replications. In which in the first study there were two sizes of cladodes (100 to 230 mm) and (240 to 300 mm) and two evaluation days (0 and 12). In the second study, there were two different times (6 am and 8 pm) and two evaluation days (0 and 12). The data obtained were submitted to ANOVA and when significant, they were subjected to the Tukey test at 5% probability. It was verified that mucilage yield was higher 14 for cladodes harvested at 6 am compared to those harvested at 8 pm. Furthermore, the mucilage obtained from cladodes of sizes between 100 and 230 mm showed lower acidity, electrical conductivity, and a decreased degree of esterification. In addition to having a higher content of soluble solids and proteins. The harvest at 6 am has resulted in a mucilage with a lower content of soluble solids, citric acid, electrical conductivity, sodium, and potassium content. In conservation, mucilage from cladodes with sizes between 100 and 230 mm showed greater stability, as for the time of harvest, there was no difference in stability for the analyzed parameters. Therefore, the different conditions for obtaining the cladodes result in differences in the physical-chemical composition of the mucilage, which can make it flexible or enhance its uses in the most diverse areas.