Accessibility / Report Error

Enzyme optimization to reduce the viscosity of pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) juice

Otimização enzimática para reduzir a viscosidade de suco de pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.)

Summary

The aim of this work was to separately evaluate the effects of pectinase and cellulase on the viscosity of pitanga juice, and determine the optimum conditions for their use employing response surface methodology. The independent variables were pectinase concentration (0-2.0 mg.g–1) and cellulase concentration (0-1.0 mg.g–1), activity time (10-110 min) and incubation temperature (23.2-56.8 °C). The use of pectinase and cellulase reduced the viscosity by about 15% and 25%, respectively. The results showed that enzyme concentration was the most important factor followed by activity time, and for the application of cellulase the incubation temperature had a significant effect too. The regression models showed correlation coefficients (R2) near to 0.90. The pectinase application conditions that led to the lowest viscosity were: concentration of 1.7 mg.g–1, incubation temperature of 37.6 °C and incubation time of 80 minutes, while for cellulase the values were: concentration of 1.0 mg.g-1, temperature range of 25 °C to 35 °C and incubation time of 110 minutes.

Keywords:
Pectinase; Cellulose; Viscosity; Pitanga juice

Resumo

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da pectinase e da celulase, separadamente, sobre a viscosidade do suco de pitanga, além de otimizar as condições de seu uso. Empregou-se para este estudo a metodologia de superfície de resposta. As variáveis independentes foram concentração de pectinase (0-2,0 mg.g–1) e concentração de celulase (0-1,0 mg.g–1), tempo de atividade (10-110 min) e temperatura de incubação (23,2-56,8 °C). As aplicações de pectinase e celulase resultaram em redução da viscosidade em torno de 15% e 25%, respectivamente. Os resultados indicaram que a concentração enzimática foi o fator mais importante, seguida pelo tempo de incubação e, para a aplicação de celulase, a temperatura também teve efeito significativo. Os modelos de regressão apresentaram coeficiente de correlação (R2) em torno de 0,90. As condições de aplicação para pectinase, que resultaram em suco com menor viscosidade, foram concentração de 1,7 mg.g–1, temperatura de incubação de 37,6 °C e tempo de atividade de 80 minutos, enquanto que, para celulase, as condições de aplicação foram concentração de 1,0 mg.g–1, faixa de temperatura entre 25 e 35 °C, e tempo de atividade de 110 minutos.

Palavras-chave:
Pectinase; Celulase; Viscosidade; Suco de pitanga

1 Introduction

A great variety of new products based on clarified fruit juices have appeared on the market such as soft drinks, fruit cocktails, flavoured water, alcoholic beverages and fruit flavoured iced teas, amongst others (VAILLANT et al., 2001Vaillant, F.; Milan, A.; Dornier, M.; Decloux, M.; Reynes, M. Strategy for economical optimization of the clarification of pulpy fruit juices using crossflow microfiltration. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 48, n. 1, p. 83-90, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(00)00152-7.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(00)...
). Transparency and homogeneity are essential properties for such products and they can only be obtained through the complete removal of suspended solids (SIN et al., 2006Sin, H. N.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Rahman, R. A. Optimization of enzymatic clarification of sapodilla juice using response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 4, p. 313-319, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
). Traditional juices like orange, grape, apple, peach and tomato juice are well-established products on the markets of developed countries. However, juices only produced on a small scale, especially tropical fruit juices, are increasingly attracting attention because of their nutritional and functional characteristics (ABDULLAH et al., 2007Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
; BILEK; BAYRAM, 2015Bilek, S. E.; Bayram, S. K. Fruit juice drink production containing hydrolyzed collagen. , Journal of Functional FoodsBinghamton, v. 14, n. 1, p. 562-569, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.02.024.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.02....
; SANTHALAKSHMY et al., 2015Santhalakshmy, S.; Don Bosco, S. J.; Francis, S.; Sabeena, M. Effect of inlet temperature on physicochemical properties of spray-dried jamun fruit juice powder. , Powder TechnologyLousanne, v. 274, n. 1, p. 37-43, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2015.01.016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2015....
).

Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.), also known as Suriname cherry or Brazilian cherry, is a tropical fruit belonging to the Myrtaceae family. It is native to Brazil, especifically to the South and Southeast regions (BEZERRA et al., 2000Bezerra, J. E. F.; Silva JUNIOR, J. F.; LEDERMAN, I. E. Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.). Jaboticabal: Funep, 2000. 30 p.). The fruit has a high carotenoid content (225.9 μg.g–1) and lycopene represents 32% of the total value and a significant concentration of vitamin A (991 ER.100 g–1) (CAVALCANTE; RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, 1992Cavalcante, M. L.; Rodriguez-Amaya, D. B. Carotenoid composition of the tropical fruits Eugenia uniflora and Malpighia glabra. , Food Science and Human NutritionAmsterdam, v. 29, n. 1, p. 643-650, 1992.). Up to 2006, the state of Pernambuco, Brazil had the largest commercial scale plantation of this fruit in Latin America, with a production between 1300 and 1700 ton/year (SILVA, 2006Silva, S.M. Pitanga. , Revista Brasileira de FruticulturaJaboticabal, v. 28, n. 1, p. 1-159, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-29452006000100001.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-29452006...
). Although some studies with Brazilian cherry do exist (LOPES et al., 2005Lopes, A. S.; Mattietto, R. A.; Menezes, H. C. Estabilidade da polpa de pitanga sob congelamento. , Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 25, n. 3, p. 553-559, 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612005000300026.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612005...
; ONGARATTO; VIOTTO, 2009Ongaratto, R. S.; Viotto, L. A. Clarificação do suco de pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) e concentração de carotenoides por microfiltração e ultrafiltração. , Brazilian Journal of Food TechnologyCampinas, VIIBMCFB, p. 85-93, 2009.; LOPES et al., 2013Lopes, A. S.; Mattietto, R. A.; Menezes, H. C.; Silva, L. H. M.; Pena, R. S. Rheological behavior of Brazilian Cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.) pulp at pasteurization temperatures. , Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 33, n. 1, p. 26-31, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612013005000001.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612013...
; FREITAS et al., 2014Freitas, M. L. F.; Dutra, M. B. L.; Bolini, H. M. A. Development of pitanga nectar with difference sweeteners by sensory analysis: ideal pulp dilution, ideal sweetness, and sweetness equivalence ., Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 34, n. 1, p. 174-180, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612014005000008.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612014...
) there is a considerable deficiency of data on the processing of this tropical fruit.

Of all the fluid properties, viscosity requires the greatest attention in fluid flow studies (HAMINIUK, 2005Haminiuk, C. W. I. Comportamento reológico e fracionamento péctico das polpas integrais de araçá (Psidium catlleianum sabine) e amora-preta (Rubus spp). 2005. 85 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia de Alimentos)-Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, 2005.). It is known that the lower the viscosity of the fluid, the less the drop in pressure during the flow, thereby lowering the power needed for pumping and consequently reducing electricity costs (VIDAL et al., 2006Vidal, J. R. M. B.; Sierakowiski, M. R.; Haminiuk, C. W. I.; Masson, M. L. Propriedades reológicas da polpa de manga (Mangifera indica L. cv Keitt) centrifugada. , Ciência e AgrotecnologiaLavras, v. 30, n. 5, p. 955-960, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542006000500020.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542006...
). In the microfiltration process, the lower permeate fluxes were related to the presence of suspended solids (pectin and fibres) and, consequently, higher viscosities (BARRETO et al., 2013Barreto, A. G.; Cabral, L. M. C.; Matta, V. M.; Freitas, S. P. Clarificação de polpa de camu-camu por microfiltração. , Brazilian Journal of Food TechnologyCampinas, v. 16, n. 3, p. 207-215, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1981-67232013005000026.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1981-67232013...
). A combination of pectinases, cellulases and hemicellulases, collectively called macerating enzymes, are related to the extraction and clarification of juices, but they also have an effect in reducing viscosity (BHAT, 2000Bhat, M. K. Cellulases and related enzymes in biotechnology. , Biotechnology AdvancesNew York, v. 18, n. 5, p. 355-383, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(00)00041-0. PMid:14538100.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(00)...
; BARROSI et al., 2004BarrosI, S. T. D.; Mendes, E. S.; Peres, L. Influence of depectinization in the ultrafiltration of West Indian cherry (Malpighia glabra L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Meer) juices ., Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 24, n. 2, p. 194-201, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612004000200006.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612004...
). The use of enzymes in the fruit pulp reduces viscosity considerably, mainly because they break up the pectin molecules and reduce the size of the fibre particles contained in the pulp (BEN-SHALON, 1986Ben-Shalon, N. Hindrance of hemicellulose and cellulose hydrolysis by pectic substances. , Journal of Food ScienceChicago, v. 51, n. 3, p. 720-722, 1986. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1986.tb13919.x.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.19...
; SREENATH et al., 1994Sreenath, H. K.; Sudarshanakrishna, K. R.; Santhanam, K. Improvement of juice recovery from pineapple pulp/residue using cellulases and pectinases. , Journal of Fermentation and BioengineeringOsaka, v. 78, n. 6, p. 486-488, 1994. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0922-338X(94)90054-X.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0922-338X(94)9...
; MUTLU et al., 1999Mutlu, M.; Sarioglu, K.; Demir, N.; Ercan, M. T.; Acar, J. The use of commercial pectinase in fruit juice industry. Part I: viscosimetric determination of enzyme activity. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 41, n. 2-3, p. 147-150, 1999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(99)00088-6.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(99)...
; BARROSI et al., 2004BarrosI, S. T. D.; Mendes, E. S.; Peres, L. Influence of depectinization in the ultrafiltration of West Indian cherry (Malpighia glabra L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Meer) juices ., Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 24, n. 2, p. 194-201, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612004000200006.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612004...
).

Response surface methodology is one of the most efficient tools for optimizing bio-systems because it makes it possible to evaluate the interactive effects among the variables being studied (RAI et al., 2004Rai, P.; Majumdar, G. C.; Dasgupta, S.; De, S. Optimizing pectinase usage in pretreatment of mosambi juice for clarification by response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 64, n. 3, p. 397-403, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2003.11.008.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
; LEE et al., 2006Lee, W. C.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Baharin, B. S. Optimizing conditions for enzymatic clarification of banana juice using response surface methodology (RSM). , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 1, p. 55-63, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
). The optimization of operating parameters for enzyme treatments involving the application of pectinase have already been studied in the case of banana juice (LEE et al., 2006Lee, W. C.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Baharin, B. S. Optimizing conditions for enzymatic clarification of banana juice using response surface methodology (RSM). , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 1, p. 55-63, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
), star fruit juice (ABDULLAH et al., 2007Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
), sweet orange juice (RAI et al., 2004Rai, P.; Majumdar, G. C.; Dasgupta, S.; De, S. Optimizing pectinase usage in pretreatment of mosambi juice for clarification by response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 64, n. 3, p. 397-403, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2003.11.008.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
) and sapodilla juice (SIN et al., 2006Sin, H. N.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Rahman, R. A. Optimization of enzymatic clarification of sapodilla juice using response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 4, p. 313-319, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
). However no such studies have been carried out with cellulases.

The aim of this study was to establish the optimum process conditions (enzyme concentration for pectinase and cellulase in separate applications, activity time and incubation temperature), using response surface methodology to reduce the viscosity of pitanga juice.

2 Material and methods

2.1 Enzymes

Two enzymes were used: Pectinex Ultra SP-L, a pectinase obtained from Aspergillus niger; and Cellubrix L, a cellulase obtained from Trichoderma reesi, both supplied by the company Novozymes Latin America Ltda (Paraná, Brazil). These enzymes are used by the food industry to reduce the viscosity of fruit pulps and/or to help in the process of clarification. The activity values for pectinase and cellulase were 9500 PGU.mL–1 and 700 EGU.g–1, respectively. An aqueous solution of each enzyme in distilled water was prepared (0.5 v/v) to facilitate its application into the juice, since the enzyme concentration in the trials and the volume of juice to be treated were small.

2.2 Preparation of the juice samples

In this study a commercial brand (De Marchi, São Paulo, Brazil) of frozen pitanga pulp was used. The pulp was defrosted in a thermostatic bath (model NT281, Nova Técnica, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil), homogenized and diluted in the proportion of one part of pulp to two parts of water, by weight, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations for obtaining an ideal juice for consumption. The juice was then separated into individual 200 g portions and frozen again. Samples of the fresh juice were taken at this point to measure the viscosity of the untreated juice.

2.3 Enzyme treatment

The juice samples were defrosted in a thermostatic bath at a controlled temperature of 30 °C over a period of 45 minutes. According to the experimental design, for the hydrolysis process the defrosted pulp was placed in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask, which was then closed and heated in the thermostatic bath up to the hydrolysis temperature (ABDULLAH et al., 2007Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
). The enzyme solution was then added to the pulp and placed in a shaker (model TE-421, Tecnal, Piracicaba, SP) where it was maintained at a controlled temperature and agitation frequency (150 rpm) according to the different activity times. At the end of each procedure the sample was removed and heated in a thermostatic bath up to 80 °C for 5 minutes to guarantee inactivation of the enzymes as recommended by the manufacturer. It was then cooled to 30 °C.

2.3.1 Experimental design

To optimize the operating conditions of the enzymatic treatment, a 23 central composite design with three central points and six axial points, totalling 17 tests, was used for each enzyme, similar to the experimental design reported by Rai et al. (2004)Rai, P.; Majumdar, G. C.; Dasgupta, S.; De, S. Optimizing pectinase usage in pretreatment of mosambi juice for clarification by response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 64, n. 3, p. 397-403, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2003.11.008.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
. Table 1 shows the levels of the independent variables – real values (X) and coded values (x): pectinase concentration (x1P), cellulase concentration (x1C), activity time (x2) and incubation temperature (x3).

Table 1
Matrix of the experimental design for the enzymatic treatment of pitanga juice.

According to Baumann (1981)Baumann, J. W. Application of enzymes in fruit juice technology. In: BIRCH, G. G.; BLAKEBROUGH, N.; PARKER, K. J. (Ed.). Enzymes and food processing. London: Applied Science Publication, 1981. p. 129-147., the three variables selected are the main ones responsible for the mechanisms of enzyme activity in juices. In each trial, samples were taken to measure the viscosity (dependent variable – y) and the results of the experimental design were analysed using response surface methodology and the Statistica®, version 7.0 software program. For each enzyme the dependent variable was expressed individually as a function of the independent variables (response function). The variance for each factor was divided into linear, quadratic and interactive components that were represented in the form of a second order polynomial (Equation 1):

y = b 0 + b 1 x 1 + b 2 x 2 + b 3 x 3 + b 11 x 1 2 + b 22 x 2 2 + b 33 x + b 12 x 1 x 2 + b 13 x 1 x 3 + b 23 x 2 x 3 (1)

The coefficients of the polynomial were represented by b0 (constant term), b1, b2 and b3 (linear coefficients), b11, b22 and b33 (quadratic coefficients) and b12, b13 and b23 (interaction coefficients). The significance of all the terms of the polynomial was calculated statistically using p-values of 0.001, 0.01 and 0.05. The regression coefficients were then used to generate the response surfaces of the regression model. The response surfaces and contour curves were generated always keeping one of the variables at the central point and varying the others within the experimental ranges.

The conversions of the coded values to the real values for the variables pectinase concentration (X1P), cellulase concentration (X1C), activity time (X2) and incubation temperature (X3) are shown in Equations 2-5 respectively:

X 1 P ( % ) = 0.06 x 1 + 0.1 (2)
X 1 C ( % ) = 0.03 x 1 + 0.05 (3)
X 2 ( min ) = 30 ( x 2 + 2 ) (4)
X 3 ( ) = 10 ( x 3 + 4 ) (5)

2.4 Viscosity

The viscosity of the juice was measured according to Lee et al. (2006)Lee, W. C.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Baharin, B. S. Optimizing conditions for enzymatic clarification of banana juice using response surface methodology (RSM). , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 1, p. 55-63, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
, Sin et al. (2006)Sin, H. N.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Rahman, R. A. Optimization of enzymatic clarification of sapodilla juice using response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 4, p. 313-319, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
and Abdullah et al. (2007)Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
using a Brookfield viscosimeter (Model LVDV-II+, Brookfield Engineering Laboratory, Inc., Middleboro, USA) at 30, 50, 70, 90 and 120 rpm with the SC4-18 spindle. All viscosity analyses were done three times at a temperature of 30 ºC ±1 °C and the viscosities were expressed in mPa.s.

3 Results and discussion

3.1 Pectinase

Table 2 shows the results for the apparent viscosity at different deformation rates (spindle rotation velocities) while the regression coefficients of the model Equation 1 for the enzyme treatment using pectinase are given in Table 3.

Table 2
Apparent viscosity results in mPa.s for the juice treated with Pectinex Ultra SP-L.
Table 3
Regression coefficients for Equation 1 corresponding to the enzyme treatment with pectinase.

Irrespective of the enzyme treatment the juice showed a pseudoplastic behaviour, since the viscosity decreased as the deformation rate increased (Table 2). The same effect was found for the untreated juice. The pseudoplastic behaviour of pitanga pulp was already reported by Lopes et al. (2013)Lopes, A. S.; Mattietto, R. A.; Menezes, H. C.; Silva, L. H. M.; Pena, R. S. Rheological behavior of Brazilian Cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.) pulp at pasteurization temperatures. , Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 33, n. 1, p. 26-31, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612013005000001.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612013...
. The conditions of experiment 10 resulted in a greater viscosity decrease when compared to the untreated juice. For this trial a reduction in viscosity of around 15% was observed.

The apparent viscosity was influenced mostly by enzyme concentration, followed by activity time and by the interaction between these factors (Table 3). Furthermore, it can be stated that the model fitted the experimental data well as the correlation coefficient (R2) was around 0.90 in all cases.

Both the pectinase concentration and the incubation time had a linear negative effect on the responses. The lowest viscosity values were obtained for the higher values of these parameters. However, the results showed no significant differences irrespective of the activity time, at concentrations above 1.6 mg.g–1 (Figure 1). Lee et al. (2006)Lee, W. C.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Baharin, B. S. Optimizing conditions for enzymatic clarification of banana juice using response surface methodology (RSM). , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 1, p. 55-63, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
and Abdullah et al. (2007)Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
reported similar behaviour for banana juice and starfruit juice respectively. Both studies used the same enzyme as used in the present study. Sin et al. (2006)Sin, H. N.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Rahman, R. A. Optimization of enzymatic clarification of sapodilla juice using response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 4, p. 313-319, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
applied Pectinex 3X L as a pre-treatment for orange juice and the results showed that enzyme concentration, incubation temperature and activity time had a significant linear effect in reducing viscosity, as did the quadratic temperature and the interaction between time and concentration.

Figure 1
Response surface for the apparent viscosity at 90 rpm for juice treated with pectinase.

Pectic substances have a strong capacity for retaining water and creating a cohesive structure. The degradation of the pectin by the enzymes reduces the retention capacity of such structures thereby increasing the amount of free water in the system, with a consequent reduction in viscosity (LEE et al., 2006Lee, W. C.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Baharin, B. S. Optimizing conditions for enzymatic clarification of banana juice using response surface methodology (RSM). , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 1, p. 55-63, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
; SIN et al., 2006Sin, H. N.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Rahman, R. A. Optimization of enzymatic clarification of sapodilla juice using response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 4, p. 313-319, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
; ABDULLAH et al., 2007Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.200...
; MAKTOUF et al., 2014Maktouf, S.; Neifar, M.; Drira, S. J.; Baklouti, S.; Fendri, M.; Châabouni, S. E. Lemon juice clarification using fungal pectinolytic enzymes coupled to membrane ultrafiltration. , Food and Bioproducts ProcessingRugby, v. 92, n. 1, p. 14-19, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2013.07.003.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2013.07....
).

The response surfaces and the contour curves for the variable of temperature were not plotted due to its small significance, considering a significance level of 90%. Response surfaces were only plotted for the 90 rpm setting to facilitate the comparison with other similar studies. Furthermore, the response surfaces obtained for other values of deformation rates were very similar to those presented in this paper.

The optimum conditions were obtained from the regression coefficients of the coded model shown in Table 3. The model obtained was partially derived with respect to x1, x2 and x3, and the following coded values were obtained: x1=1.11, x2=0.66 and x3=-0.24. The coded values transformed into real values indicated the optimum pectinase concentration as 1.7 mg.g–1 and optimum incubation conditions as 80 minutes at 37.6 °C.

3.2 Celullase

Table 4 shows the apparent viscosity values at different deformation rates while the regression coefficients for the enzyme treatment with cellulose are given in Table 5.

Table 4
Apparent viscosity results in mPa.s for juice treated with Cellubrix-L.
Table 5
Regression coefficients for Equation 1 corresponding to the enzyme treatment with cellulose.

The greatest reduction in viscosity was obtained with the conditions of experiment 4, which resulted in a decrease in viscosity between 23% and 34% for the spindle speed variation from 30 to 120 rpm, respectively. The enzyme concentration and incubation time had a negative linear effect on the pitanga juice viscosity, while temperature had a positive linear effect (Table 5). At a spindle speed of 30 rpm only the enzyme concentration and the activity time produced a significant effect. Furthermore the proposed models fitted the experimental data well since the correlation coefficient (R2) was above 0.89 except for 30 rpm, where the R2 value was 0.83.

The reduction in viscosity is associated with the reduction in suspended solids, represented mainly by the fibres (VIDAL et al., 2006Vidal, J. R. M. B.; Sierakowiski, M. R.; Haminiuk, C. W. I.; Masson, M. L. Propriedades reológicas da polpa de manga (Mangifera indica L. cv Keitt) centrifugada. , Ciência e AgrotecnologiaLavras, v. 30, n. 5, p. 955-960, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542006000500020.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542006...
). Thus, for efficient reduction of viscosity the application of enzymes such as cellulases, which are able to act on the fibrous particles, is needed. In Figure 2 it is clear that the lowest viscosity values corresponded to the higher enzyme concentrations and the longer activity times and Figure 3 shows that the higher the temperature, the less effective the enzyme treatment was, especially in the case of high cellulose concentrations. Furthermore, for higher enzyme concentrations the optimum temperature range was from 25 °C to 45 °C, but when the time factor was taken into consideration the range fell from 25 °C to 35 °C (Figure 4).

Figure 2
Effect of enzyme concentration and activity time on the apparent viscosity at 90 rpm for the application of Cellubrix L.
Figure 3
Effect of enzyme concentration and incubation temperature on the apparent viscosity at 90 rpm for the application of Cellubrix L.
Figure 4
Effect of activity time and incubation temperature on the apparent viscosity at 90 rpm for an application of Cellubrix L.

It was not possible to determine the optimum conditions for the application of cellulase by mathematical derivation from the model given by the response surfaces found. Thus the determination was carried out by analysing the contour curves obtained. Thus it can be stated that the optimum conditions for cellulase application corresponded to the maximum enzyme concentration (1.0 mg.g–1), the maximum activity time and incubation temperatures range from 25 °C to 35 °C (Figure 4).

4 Conclusion

The application of pectinase resulted in a reduction in viscosity of around 15%, while in the case of cellulase, it was more than 23%. Thus cellulases would be the most appropriate to use when the objective is to reduce the viscosity of pitanga juice. By using response surfaces, contour curves and derivation techniques it was possible to obtain a definition of the optimum application conditions for the enzymes investigated. The main parameters responsible for the reduction in viscosity were enzyme concentration and activity time. The recommended conditions for pectinase treatments are: enzyme concentration of 1.7 mg.g–1 at 37.6 °C for 80 minutes and for treatments using cellulase: 1.0 mg.g–1 at temperatures between 25 °C and 35 °C for 110 minutes.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to CAPES for granting a scholarship to the first author.

  • Cite as: Enzyme optimization to reduce the viscosity of pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) juice. Braz. J. Food Technol., v. 19, e2015041, 2016.

References

  • Abdullah, A. G. L.; Sulaiman, N. M.; Aroua, M. K.; Megat Mohd Noor, M. J. Response surface optimization of conditions for clarification of carambola fruit juice using a commercial enzyme. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 81, n. 1, p. 65-71, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.013
  • Barreto, A. G.; Cabral, L. M. C.; Matta, V. M.; Freitas, S. P. Clarificação de polpa de camu-camu por microfiltração. , Brazilian Journal of Food TechnologyCampinas, v. 16, n. 3, p. 207-215, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1981-67232013005000026
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1981-67232013005000026
  • BarrosI, S. T. D.; Mendes, E. S.; Peres, L. Influence of depectinization in the ultrafiltration of West Indian cherry (Malpighia glabra L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Meer) juices ., Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 24, n. 2, p. 194-201, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612004000200006
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612004000200006
  • Baumann, J. W. Application of enzymes in fruit juice technology. In: BIRCH, G. G.; BLAKEBROUGH, N.; PARKER, K. J. (Ed.). Enzymes and food processing. London: Applied Science Publication, 1981. p. 129-147.
  • Ben-Shalon, N. Hindrance of hemicellulose and cellulose hydrolysis by pectic substances. , Journal of Food ScienceChicago, v. 51, n. 3, p. 720-722, 1986. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1986.tb13919.x
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1986.tb13919.x
  • Bezerra, J. E. F.; Silva JUNIOR, J. F.; LEDERMAN, I. E. Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.). Jaboticabal: Funep, 2000. 30 p.
  • Bhat, M. K. Cellulases and related enzymes in biotechnology. , Biotechnology AdvancesNew York, v. 18, n. 5, p. 355-383, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(00)00041-0 PMid:14538100.
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(00)00041-0
  • Bilek, S. E.; Bayram, S. K. Fruit juice drink production containing hydrolyzed collagen. , Journal of Functional FoodsBinghamton, v. 14, n. 1, p. 562-569, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.02.024
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.02.024
  • Cavalcante, M. L.; Rodriguez-Amaya, D. B. Carotenoid composition of the tropical fruits Eugenia uniflora and Malpighia glabra. , Food Science and Human NutritionAmsterdam, v. 29, n. 1, p. 643-650, 1992.
  • Freitas, M. L. F.; Dutra, M. B. L.; Bolini, H. M. A. Development of pitanga nectar with difference sweeteners by sensory analysis: ideal pulp dilution, ideal sweetness, and sweetness equivalence ., Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 34, n. 1, p. 174-180, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612014005000008
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612014005000008
  • Haminiuk, C. W. I. Comportamento reológico e fracionamento péctico das polpas integrais de araçá (Psidium catlleianum sabine) e amora-preta (Rubus spp). 2005. 85 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia de Alimentos)-Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, 2005.
  • Lee, W. C.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Baharin, B. S. Optimizing conditions for enzymatic clarification of banana juice using response surface methodology (RSM). , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 1, p. 55-63, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.005
  • Lopes, A. S.; Mattietto, R. A.; Menezes, H. C. Estabilidade da polpa de pitanga sob congelamento. , Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 25, n. 3, p. 553-559, 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612005000300026
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612005000300026
  • Lopes, A. S.; Mattietto, R. A.; Menezes, H. C.; Silva, L. H. M.; Pena, R. S. Rheological behavior of Brazilian Cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.) pulp at pasteurization temperatures. , Food Science and TechnologyCampinas, v. 33, n. 1, p. 26-31, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612013005000001
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612013005000001
  • Maktouf, S.; Neifar, M.; Drira, S. J.; Baklouti, S.; Fendri, M.; Châabouni, S. E. Lemon juice clarification using fungal pectinolytic enzymes coupled to membrane ultrafiltration. , Food and Bioproducts ProcessingRugby, v. 92, n. 1, p. 14-19, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2013.07.003
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2013.07.003
  • Mutlu, M.; Sarioglu, K.; Demir, N.; Ercan, M. T.; Acar, J. The use of commercial pectinase in fruit juice industry. Part I: viscosimetric determination of enzyme activity. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 41, n. 2-3, p. 147-150, 1999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(99)00088-6
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(99)00088-6
  • Ongaratto, R. S.; Viotto, L. A. Clarificação do suco de pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) e concentração de carotenoides por microfiltração e ultrafiltração. , Brazilian Journal of Food TechnologyCampinas, VIIBMCFB, p. 85-93, 2009.
  • Rai, P.; Majumdar, G. C.; Dasgupta, S.; De, S. Optimizing pectinase usage in pretreatment of mosambi juice for clarification by response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 64, n. 3, p. 397-403, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2003.11.008
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2003.11.008
  • Santhalakshmy, S.; Don Bosco, S. J.; Francis, S.; Sabeena, M. Effect of inlet temperature on physicochemical properties of spray-dried jamun fruit juice powder. , Powder TechnologyLousanne, v. 274, n. 1, p. 37-43, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2015.01.016
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2015.01.016
  • Silva, S.M. Pitanga. , Revista Brasileira de FruticulturaJaboticabal, v. 28, n. 1, p. 1-159, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-29452006000100001
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-29452006000100001
  • Sin, H. N.; Yusof, S.; Hamid, N. S. A.; Rahman, R. A. Optimization of enzymatic clarification of sapodilla juice using response surface methodology. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 73, n. 4, p. 313-319, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.01.031
  • Sreenath, H. K.; Sudarshanakrishna, K. R.; Santhanam, K. Improvement of juice recovery from pineapple pulp/residue using cellulases and pectinases. , Journal of Fermentation and BioengineeringOsaka, v. 78, n. 6, p. 486-488, 1994. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0922-338X(94)90054-X
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0922-338X(94)90054-X
  • Vaillant, F.; Milan, A.; Dornier, M.; Decloux, M.; Reynes, M. Strategy for economical optimization of the clarification of pulpy fruit juices using crossflow microfiltration. , Journal of Food EngineeringEssex, v. 48, n. 1, p. 83-90, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(00)00152-7
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-8774(00)00152-7
  • Vidal, J. R. M. B.; Sierakowiski, M. R.; Haminiuk, C. W. I.; Masson, M. L. Propriedades reológicas da polpa de manga (Mangifera indica L. cv Keitt) centrifugada. , Ciência e AgrotecnologiaLavras, v. 30, n. 5, p. 955-960, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542006000500020
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542006000500020

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    2016

History

  • Received
    09 June 2015
  • Accepted
    05 Feb 2016
Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos - ITAL Av. Brasil, 2880, 13070-178 Campinas - SP / Brasil, Tel 55 19 3743-1762 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: bjftsec@ital.sp.gov.br