Relationship between flow characteristics and composition of fat-free Dulce de Leche

N. RANALLI; S. C. ANDRÉS; A. CALIFANO

Rheology: Theory, Properties and Practical Applications

Nova Science Publishers Inc.

Lugar: New York; Año: 2013; p. 285 - 302

The importance of the link between nutrition and health is a hot topic. Like other food-related sectors, the dairy industry is undergoing major transformations, driven among other things by changes in consumer demands. In order to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization to limit the consumption of fat in the diet; since childhood and through out life, consumers must have healthy and tasty products available. Dulce de leche (DL) is a rich, creamy, caramel-like milk-based sauce or spread. Widely consumed in Latin America, is also known as manjar, manjar blanco, and arequipe. In Argentina it is commercialized in at least four types of products to be used in different applications: traditional, reduced calories, reduced fat, and confectionary. They differ in their composition, caloric and lipid contents, and flow characteristics; so under the common name of dulce de leche very different products are available to consumers. DL has a typical texture that is important for consumers when evaluating its overall acceptability. DL is intermediate between a concentrated solution and a gel, depending on the type and solids content. As fat content diminishes or water content increases DL becomes less viscous, so it is necessary to add thickeners to maintain flow characteristics in a ?0% fat? product. In this chapter the rheological properties of fat-free ?dulce de leche? formulated with different contents of water and xanthan gum are discussed. Dulce de leche samples of moisture contents ranging from 23.7% to 60.3% and xantham gum concentration between 0.173% and 0.555% were prepared. For DL elaboration sterilized defatted fluid milk (fat content