Eficacia de limpeza durante o beneficiamento de tomate de mesa / Effectiveness of cleaning during post harvest handling fresh market tomatoes

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

The cleaning step of a packing line for fresh tomatoes is very important, because it is responsible for removing surface residues of fruits without injuring. The main goal of this work was to evaluate cleaning efficiency and fruit quality submitted to different types of bristles and rotations, having as referential model the fresh market tomato Débora. The assays were carried out in a laboratory, in a cleaning step on a prototype developed and named UNIMAC1. First, an assay was carried out to identify the best method for evaluating cleaning efficiency: colorimeter or turbidimeter. Then, rubber spheres, with similar tomato weight, were artificially dirtied and submitted to the cleaning step on the prototype, with brushes of nylon bristles and rotation of 100 rpm. Afterwards, in a second process, the efficiency cleaning was evaluated and the rubber spheres were used again, changing the types of bristles (nylon, sisal fiber, PET and coconut fiber) as well as the rotation (40, 80, 120 and 160 rpm) of rotary brushes. The last phase, the studies were carried out with fresh tomatoes for evaluating cleaning efficiency and fruit quality (weight loss, respiratory rate, ethylene evolution and external appearance). Results showed that the turbidimeter method was the most accurate methodology for evaluating cleaning efficiency. On the trials where rubber spheres were used, the flexible bristles, nylon and sisal fiber, which demonstrated a flexible index (Gc) of 68.34 and 70.27 N.m-1, respectively, were more efficient at higher rotations. PET bristles, that are stiffer (Gc of 135.94 N.m-1) and at a rotation of 40 rpm, were inefficient, presenting a cleaning index lower than 50%. For the fresh tomatoes, a nylon brush at 120 rpm treatment was the most efficient cleaning process, showing a cleaning index of 91%. Nylon brushes at 160 rpm treatment showed the lowest cleaning index (88%). These results were probably associated to the fact that, at higher speeds, fruits tended to jump, causing a poor contact between bristles and fruits. The lowest cleaning index, 75.4 and 78.8%, were observed on coconut fiber at 80 and 120 rpm treatments, respectively. In general, cleaned fruits demonstrated high weight loss, high respiratory rate and more evolution of ethylene after cleaning process. Cleaning efficiency of fruits was not perceptible in sensory analysis; however tomatoes that were submitted to cleaning were more accepted by the buy intention test, being the clean fruits in coconut fiber at 80 rpm treatment preferred by buyers. In conclusion, as nylon bristles are more flexible, allowing a more intimate contact with fruits at 120 rpm, the cleaning process for these parameters is more efficient. However this treatment increased weight loss and respiratory rate after cleaning. On the other hand, nylon at 160 rpm treatment showed to be more inefficient in relation to cleaning, but showed fewer fruits alterations.

ASSUNTO(S)

quality lycopersicon esculentun mill tomate limpeza brushes pós-colheita qualidade cleaning packing line post harvest rotation

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