RESUMO
The objective of this study was to evaluate the shelf life of powdered guavira pulp obtained by a foam mat drying process. The dehydrated guavira pulp was packed into low density polyethylene (LDPE) bags and stored under two controlled conditions: environmental (25°C, RH 75%) and accelerated (35°C, RH 90%) for 90 days. The shelf life was accompanied by carrying out the following analyses every 10 days: moisture content, water activity, vitamin C content, pH and titratable acidity. Vitamin C was the quality attribute used to determine the shelf life of the product, by determining its degradation kinetics as a function of storage time. The linear regression data showed that the vitamin C degradation reaction fitted the zero and first order kinetic models. The shelf life of the powdered guavira pulp under environmental conditions was approximately 49 days, and under accelerated conditions (35°C) 45 days. The Q10 was equal to 1.09, predicting a shelf life similar to that found under environmental conditions. The moisture content for these conditions was 10.0% e 5.4% for 35°C and 25°C, respectively. The above demonstrate the efficiency of the accelerated test in predicting the shelf life of the product.