EVALUATION OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN MANGO NECTARS AND CONCENTRATED JUICES

Mango is a tropical fruit widely produced in Brazil and is rich in bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and vitamin C. There are several types of juices on the market, such as concentrated juices and nectars. Therefore, it is necessary to research the real benefits of these juices for the population and investigate whether they meet the requirements set forth in the legislation. The objective of this study was to characterize mango nectar and concentrated juice in relation to the Standards of Identity and Quality required by Brazilian legislation and to identify the content of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and vitamin C. First, three brands of concentrated mango juice and three brands of mango nectars with different price ranges (maximum, medium and minimum values) were chosen. The following analyses were performed to characterize the nectar and concentrated juice: total solids, soluble solids in Brix, ascorbic acid, total titratable acidity and carotenoids. The nectars with maximum, medium and minimum values presented β-carotene contents of 334.85µg/100g, 1338.64µg and 1480.53µg/100g, vitamin C content of 21.01mg/100g, 36.85mg/100g and 25.48mg/100g, acidity contents of 0.29g/100g, 0.35g/100g and 0.30g/100g, soluble solid contents of 12.0°Brix, 13.0°Brix and 11.7°Brix and total solid contents of 11.30g/100g, 11.96g and 3.11g, respectively. The concentrated juices with maximum, medium and minimum values presented β-carotene contents of 911.29 µg/100g, 965.94 µg/100g and 2703.22 µg/100g, vitamin C contents of 16.40 mg/100g, 16.53 mg/100g and 53.02 mg/100g, acidity contents of 0.56 g/100g, 0.44 g/100g and 0.72 g/100g, soluble solid contents 8.4°Brix, 8.2°Brix and 12.0°Brix and total solid contents of 8.04 g/100g, 7.78 g/100g and 11.82 g/100g, respectively. Therefore, some samples did not measure up to the Brazilian Identity and Quality Standards provided put forth via legislation, and the quantity of bioactive compounds was slightly below what was expected in some samples.