Desenvolvimento e caracterização de ravioli de garoupa (Epinephelus marginatus)

One way to diversify and encourage fish consumption in Brazil can be through the development of innovative fish-based products, such as grouper ravioli. Known for being highly appreciated in cooking due to its white and tasty meat, grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) is a marine fish with high commercial value and great interest in underwater fishing, probably due to its large size, reaching 1.5 m and 60 kg.The objective of this work was to produce fresh mass of ravioli stuffed with cooked and smoked fish and to evaluate the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory characteristics, where the fish used for this experiment was the true Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). Analyzes were carried out for moisture, lipid, protein, ash and carbohydrate contents, as well as the microbiological quality of the developed product. Stuffed ravioli pasta was also subjected to sensory analysis with evaluation of appearance, color, odor, taste and texture attributes. The finished product presented protein values of 9.76% for cooked fish stuffed ravioli and 8.94% for smoked ravioli; Physicochemical analyzes indicated an acceptable protein content for such a product. As for microbiological analysis, the results obtained were in accordance with the values required by legislation and, therefore, suitable for human consumption. The sensory evaluation of Garoupa's ravioli indicated high acceptability with 88.40% approval for cooked stuffed ravioli and 97.54% for smoked stuffed ravioli. The aggregation of fish meat in the ravioli filling provided qualitative and quantitative conveniences regarding its chemical composition, as well as high acceptability of the developed product, which shows the viability of its production.