STABILITY OF ASCORBIC ACID DURING THE TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF APRICOT COMPOTE FABRICATION

• Main Authors: Patras, Antoanela, Baetu, Alina Loredana, Baetu, Marius
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Technical University of Moldova 2020-03-01
• Series: Journal of Engineering Science (Chişinău)
• Subjects: ascorbate oxidase; blanching; dehydroascorbic acid; pasteurisation; preservation; technological flow; temperature; vitamin c
• Online Access: https://jes.utm.md/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/03/JES-2020-1_107-112.pdf

Apricots are fruits with a short period of fresh-consumption and the compote fabrication is a usual method for their preservation. The present research is studying the changes in total vitamin C content, as well as the transformations between ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in four different phases of the technological flow of apricot compote fabrication. The ascorbate oxidase activity was also evaluated. The studied samples are represented by different stages of apricots during the technological flow of compote fabrication: raw material, washed fruits, after blanching (at 70 °C for 3 min), and finished product (after pasteurisation by maintaining at 95 °C the inside temperature of filled and closed jar for 15 min). Also, the ascorbic acid content after 3 months of compote preservation in the dark at 10 °C and respectively, 25 °C was measured. Three analytical methods were used: HPLC, reflectometry (using the Reflectoquant), and titrimetry (using 2, 6-dichlorophenol indophenol). The results proved that thermal processes seriously decreased the ascorbic acid content and increased the dehydroascorbic acid. The 3 months preservation at both temperatures has slight influence on the content of ascorbic acid, but at 25 °C the diminution of ascorbic acid and the increase of dehydroascorbic acid were more significant than at 10 °C.