PRODUCTION IN SUPERCRITICAL CONDITIONS AND EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF THE MICRONIZED BENZOIC ACID IN FOODS

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the best production parameter of micronized benzoic acid by Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions (RESS) and its effectiveness as an inhibitor of microorganisms on orange juice, comparing the obtained results to samples containing comercial benzoic acid, and samples without conservative by means of microbiological analysis. The results indicated that the temperature did not interfere significantly on the particles morphology and at 160 bar pressure the smaller particles were formed. Microbiological growth was higher at samples without conservative, and samples with 0.01 and 0.02% w/v of micronized benzoic acid had smaller growth that samples with same concentration of commercial benzoic acid. The results showed that the micronization of particles by RESS comes as a promising method to food conservatives production, although further studies must be realized to evaluate its effectiveness over other microorganisms and in different concentrations.