Chitosan as flocculant agent for clarification of stevia extract

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Date
2012-01-01Author
Oliveira, Silvia P. D. de
Mahl, Cynthia Regina Albrecht
Simões, Márcia R.
Silva, Classius Ferreira da [UNIFESP]
Type
ArtigoISSN
0104-1428Is part of
PolímerosDOI
10.1590/S0104-14282012005000066Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Stevia is used as a sweetener due to its low calorific value and its taste, which is very similar to that of sucrose. After extraction from dried leaves, stevia extract is dark in colour, and therefore needs to be whitened to increase acceptance by consumers. In this study we tested chitosan, a cationic polyelectrolyte, as flocculant agent for the whitening of the Stevia extract. Positive charges of chitosan can interact electrostatically with a counter-ion, sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), and then chitosan precipitates. A factorial design was used to study the whitening process, in which Glycosides Removal, Colour Removal, Turbidity Removal and Soluble Solids Removal were evaluated. The studied factors were Chitosan Mass and pH of the TPP solution. The results showed that chitosan is a good flocculant agent, being able to flocculate both the glycosides and the pigments that make the extract coloured.
Citation
Polímeros. Associação Brasileira de Polímeros, v. 22, n. 4, p. 401-406, 2012.Keywords
Steviasweeteners
chitosan
flocculation
clarification
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- ICAQF - Artigos [1140]