Barriers technology applied to the preservation of mashed anco pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata D.)

Abstract

Barriers technology is a combination of obstacles such as the addition of sugars, salts and organic acids or mild thermic treatments applied to the processing of a product to ensure its stability and microbial safety and to maintain the organoleptic properties of the raw material. The aim of this study was to apply this technology in order to preserve mashed anco pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata D.) and to analyze the quality and shelf life of the obtained product. To do so, the pumpkin was chopped, the shell and the seeds were removed and the pulp was steamed at 120 °C for 5 minutes. After this, the pulp was processed to obtain a mashed mass and the preparation was formulated: 100 g smashed pumpkin, 0.20 % ascorbic acid, 0.15 % lactic acid, 0.30 % citric acid, 0.5 % salt and 1 % sucrose. A sensory analysis was performed to the product obtained and later the preparation was packed in 350 cm3 bottles and then submitted to 100 ºC for 20 minutes (to reduce microbial population and to eliminate enzymes) with posterior cooling down at room temperature. Physical, chemical and microbiological analyses were performed both to fresh material and to six months stored processed mash. Product properties were: pH = 4.30, ºBx = 12, negative enzymatic activity and absence of bacteria and yeasts. These results show that application of barriers technology allows obtaining an innocuous canned mashed anco pumpkin, which maintains good organoleptic characteristics that can be stored up to 6 months at room temperature.