Dulce de leche-like product enriched with emulsified pecan oil: assessment of physicochemical characteristics, quality attributes, and shelf-life.

RANALLI N; CALIFANO A N; ANDRÉS S C

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LIPID SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Lugar: Weinheim; Año: 2017

1438-7697

?Dulce de leche? (DL) is a rich, creamy, caramel-like milk-based sauce or spread, prepared by concentrating whole milk with sucrose, reaching a lipid content of about 6% w/w. A DL-like product with pre-emulsified pecan oil as fat source was developed. Nonfat milk, xanthan gum, sugars, pecan oil, and natural tocopherols were included in the formulation prepared in a pilot-plant scale and stored at room temperature. Pecan oil-DL showed physicochemical and rheological characteristics similar to those of commercial DL containing 6% milk fat. A slight increase in viscosity was observed after two months of storage, remaining almost constant thereafter. Crystal formation was not observed and microbial counts were low. Slight lipid oxidation was experienced after 138 days. DL fatty acid (FA) profile showed high content of unsaturated FA (UFA, 89-90% w/w), mainly oleic and linoleic acids, effectively protected by both tocopherols and antioxidant compounds. Pecan oil-DL presented good sensorial characteristics (above 7 points on a 10 point-hedonic scale), with 82.6% less saturated FA and 200% more UFA than a traditional milk fat-product, being an alternative product with lipid profile enriched in unsaturated fatty acids.