Diseño de un proceso agroindustrial para elaborar barras de cereal con frutas deshidratadas tuna y piña.

Abstract

The objective of this research was the design of an agro-industrial process to elaborate cereal bars with dehydrated fruits, tuna, and pineapple. Two experimental treatments corresponding to the tray and oven dehydrator were evaluated by using five repetitions at temperatures of 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 degrees centigrade obtaining dehydrated prickly pear and pineapple, using a two paired sample design comparing the efficiency of two dehydration methods between the tray dehydrator and the oven. Establishing parameters such as temperature, time, and yield; being the tray dehydrator the best method to dehydrate prickly pear and pineapple, obtaining a yield of 19.75% for prickly pear for a time of 15 hours at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius and for pineapple a yield of 15.01% for a time of 16 hours at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. Once the fruits were dehydrated, the cereal bar was prepared by performing bromatological, microbiological and sensory analyses, showing a content of 13% protein, 8.88% fat, 6.81% fiber and 1.18% ash. The microbiological analysis determined the absence of molds and E. coli. It presented a sensory evaluation of moderately liked. The different agro-industrial process diagrams were made, such as the block diagram, process flow diagram, piping and instrumentation diagram, physical diagram, flow diagram and operations diagram for a production capacity of 400 kg per day of cereal bar with dehydrated fruits tuna and pineapple. It is concluded that the tray dehydrator is the best method to dehydrate prickly pear and pineapple obtaining better yields of dehydrated fruit, recommending dehydration at a temperature of 65 ° Celsius degrees for prickly pear and 60 degrees Celsius degrees for pineapple, to be used in the production of cereal bars.