A study on the factors influencing the preservation rate of ascorbic acid in acerola cherry pulp

Abstract

Acerola cherry grows in tropical regions. It contains a large amount of ascorbic acid (up to 4000 mg/100 g) but is not easy to preserve. It is very important to extend the preservation time of acerola cherries and maintain the ascorbic acid. Through single factor experiment and UV spectrophotometric method, the effect of five environmental factors (temperature, pH value, light, air, and metal ion) and four additives (sodium metabisulfite, EDTA, phytic acid and L-cysteine) on the content of ascorbic acid were investigated. Degradation curves of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in acerola cherry pulp at 60°C were also explored. The results show that the influence of metal ions and air is far greater than other factors, the antioxidant effect of cysteine is higher than that of the other three additives and the degradation of dehydroascorbic acid occurred preferentially. This research provides theoretical support for the preservation of acerola cherry pulp.

Keywords:
ascorbic acid; acerola cherry pulp; preservation; additives; degradation curve