Obtención y análisis de Ciclo de Vida de Piña deshidratada enriquecida con hierro

Abstract

Considering that one of the main nutritional problems in Paraguay is the lack of iron, a functional food was prepared that was able to meet the requirements of said micronutrient in children of school age. For the same, the pineapple was used as raw material, which was subjected to an impregnation process, with a solution based on orange juice and chard, in order to investigate the possibility of using the iron naturally present in the chard. Subsequently, the impregnated fruit pieces were placed in stoves, at a temperature of 60° C, for 16 h. The iron concentration was analyzed in the impregnation juice, in the impregnated pineapples, and in the dehydrated pineapples, by UV spectrophotometry. During the development the resources used (raw material, materials and equipment) were registered, as well as the processes applied from start to finish, the energy used, and the waste generated, for the analysis of the life cycle of the product obtained, so visualize the environmental impacts it could cause. The results show that the applied process entails a low absorption of iron in dehydrated pineapple portions; and in the production stages significant environmental impacts are generated, by the different types of waste that are emitted, as well as by the demand for energy.