Elaboration and physical-chemical and sensorial characterization of dried banana flavored with spices

Abstract

Brazil is the fifth largest producer of banana, which is cultivated in all states and consumed by most of the population. However, there are significant losses due to its high perishability and lack of care during transportation. The osmotic dehydration followed by drying can offer higher added value to the product, reduce transportation costs, decrease the acidity, and heighten the taste of the original fruit. Therefore, the objective of the work was to elaborate dried banana using osmotic dehydration followed by drying, flavored with spices, and to evaluate the physical-chemical and sensorial characteristics of the final product. We submitted the fresh and flavored bananas to physical-chemical analysis. The final product also underwent sensory evaluation. The water content parameter was pursuant with the legislation for dehydrated fruit. The water activity of the treatments decreased when compared to the fresh product, favoring the conservation at room temperature. The reducing sugars increased due to the osmotic dehydration and were entirely accounted for in the dried banana seasoned with clove and cinnamon. Regarding the sensory analysis, the treatments with clove and fennel were accepted for the attributes of appearance, color, and firmness, but did not present sensory characteristics superior to traditional bananas. Only the dried banana flavored with cinnamon presented acceptability index higher than 70% for the flavor attribute. However, it is worth noting that this refers to the new food with a peculiar taste.