Kinetic and Thermodynamic Analysis of Anthocyanin Thermal Degradation in Acerola (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) Pulp

Abstract

Acerola fruit (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) is in high demand worldwide because of its great taste, and also due to its substantial content of anthocyanins, associated with other health compounds. This paper provides experimental and simulation results of anthocyanin thermal degradation in acerola pulp during industrial processing. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated in a batch experimental system and an appropriated mathematical modeling was developed to simulate the anthocyanin losses in a tubular heat exchanger as industrial pasteurization system. Our finds indicate activation energy of degradation equals 68 kJ/mol, suggesting a strong dependency of temperature. Moreover, simulations showed that in real heating situations, the losses of anthocyanins in acerola pulp could be very small, less than 1%, at 20 s of residence time and 70C, if appropriated operational conditions were set. Therefore, this present research provides not only experimental and simulation data of anthocyanin degradation, but also a useful tool to predict the minimal losses during processing. Practical Applications The kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of this work can be used to estimate the anthocyanin losses during industrial processes. The case study of this paper concerns on tubular systems. However, the kinetic parameter estimation and the degradation rate also obtained can be used in any industrial situation by an appropriate modeling adaptation, for example, considering the common plate systems.