Elaboração e caracterização de filmes de pectina para uso na conservação de tomates-cereja (Solanum Lycopersicum)

Abstract

The volume of discarded agro-industrial waste has increased considerably, as the population grows, consumption increases. Among these residues, the packages can be mentioned. Several alternatives have been proposed to mitigate the impacts on the environment, among which some are aimed at the recycling and reuse of rapidly degradable materials. Recent studies have been carried out in the search for edible alternatives, elaborated with the use of natural polymers such as starch, pectin, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, among others. For its ability to form gels, pectin is a great bet for the elaboration of these films (both green and edible biofilms). The aim of the present work is to use pectin in the preparation of biofilms, to verify their characteristics and to use as coating on cherry tomatoes to evaluate the storage capacity, compared to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films. The biofilms produced were evaluated for color, moisture content, solubility and mechanical properties of traction and elongation. The tomatoes were evaluated for pH, soluble solids content, water activity, weight loss and apparent roughness of the peel, during fifteen days, with analyzes every five days. The films were presented with satisfactory coloration, moisture content close to the values found for biofilms, totally soluble in water and with low values for the mechanical properties. There were no significant differences between treatments on tomato characteristics. It is concluded that biofilms made with pectin are convenient alternatives for preserving tomatoes, being as efficient as PVC films.