Extração de substâncias pécticas do mesocarpo de Passiflora nitida Kunth. Passiforaceae

Passiflora nitida Kunth. (maracuja-do-mato) native to Brazil with occurrences in the north, northeast and midwest regions. The fruit is consumed in natura, being little explored as to its functional properties. The aim of this study was to extract pectic substances from the P. nitida mesocarp. The mesocarp was dehydrated, crushed and a fine-grained powder was obtained, characterized in terms of granulometry, swelling index, titratable acidity, ash and moisture content. For the extraction of pectic substances, 4 g of the powder was used in an acid medium. The samples were separated into 2 groups: group 1 was used L-Ascorbic Acid P.A. (brand NEON) and in group 2, fresh fruit lemon juice, both at a concentration of 5% using a temperature of 60oC for 120 minutes and 80oC for 60 minutes. The yield of pectic substances in group 1 was 12,2 ± 0,3% at 60oC for 120 minutes and 12,9 ± 0,2% at 80oC for 60 minutes. For group 2 it was 14,3 ± 0,2% and 17,9 ± 0,3%, respectively. The P. nitida mesocarp may be a source for obtaining pectic substances.