Brazil: Açaí treated with thermal shock maintains flavor and has good acceptance

Research by Embrapa Amapá showed that there are no changes in the smell, texture and flavor of the açaí drink (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) Whose fruits undergo thermal shock at a temperature of 80 ° C to 90 ° C, an essential step for inactivating Trypanosoma cruzi, cause of Chagas disease, which may be present in contaminated barbers. Conducted with consumers of traditional açaí in the North Region, the scientific study demystifies the fear that heat would alter the properties of the food. This prejudice is one of the main causes of the rejection of the final product by the population and some beaters, whose fruits were subjected to heat treatment. Hot dip for ten seconds The thermal shock in the fruits, or bleaching as it is popularly known, eliminates several microorganisms that cause diseases acquired by contaminated açaí, including the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. “The açaí mixer should immerse the sanitized fruits in water heated to 80 ° C to 90 ° C ...