ABSTRACT.Olive oil represents an important component of a healthy and balanced dietary. Due to commercial features, characterization of pure olive oil and commercial mixtures represents an important challenge. Reported techniques can successfully quantify components in concentrations lower than 1%, but may present long delays, too many purification steps or use expensive equipment. Image analysis represents an important characterization technique for food science and technology. By coupling image and UV-VIS spectroscopy analysis, models with linear dependence on parameters were developed and could successfully describe the mixture concentration in the range of 0-100% in mass of olive oil content. A validation sample, containing 25% in mass of olive oil, not used for parameter estimation, was also used for testing the proposed procedure, leading to a prediction of 24.8 ± 0.6. Due to image analysis results, 3-parameter-based models considering only R and G components were developed for olive oil content prediction in mixtures with up to 70% in mass of olive oil, the same test sample was used and its concentration was predicted as 24.5 ± 1.2. These results show that image analysis represents a promising technique for on-line/in-line monitoring of blending process of olive soybean oil for commercial mixtures.

Resumo Neste trabalho avaliou-se o conteúdo de vitamina C e de carotenóides totais em tomates frescos e desidratados para conserva, com posterior imersão em IntroduçãoO tomate (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) é um dos vegetais mais produzidos no mundo. No Brasil, representa uma das culturas nacionais de maior importância econômica, sendo industrializados na forma de inúmeros produtos como sucos, purês, molhos, extratos e pastas (AKANBI et al., 2006). Mais recentemente tem sido amplamente utilizado como tomate seco em conserva.A importância do tomate na alimentação é atribuída por apresentar, além das propriedades nutricionais básicas, propriedades benéficas na redução do risco de doenças crônico degenerativas.Os carotenóides presentes no fruto são os principais responsáveis por essas propriedades, dos quais