Valorization of milk whey as a dairy beverage adapted to processing in rural settlements

Abstract

Even though with an average productivity of 4,5 liters/animal/day, milk production is very common in the Brazilian rural area as a stable food subsistence and food security activities. Considering the difficulties of storage, milk is also used in the process of dairy, resulting in whey as its residue. This research aimed to valorize the products of family farming by developing and studying the shelf life of a dairy beverage based in mozzarella cheese whey. According to the Brazilian legislation, a milk beverage is a product derived from the blend of milk (at list 51% of the total ingredients) and whey, with others food ingredients. The whey used was collected in a commercial dairy installed in a rural settlement located 20 kilometers from the laboratory, and it presented the appropriate characteristics of use according to the Brazilian standards, with suitable physicochemical and microbial values. The formulation has been adjusted to suit production as an appropriate technology for small producers and to allow the beverage to be sold as school lunch. The organoleptic attributes allowed to select a formulation, flavored with passion fruit pulp and cooked cassava paste as a thickener ingredient, both easily found in rural settlements. The shelf life of the pasteurized and refrigerated beverage (5°C) was monitored for 21 days, with no significant variations in pH, acidity, total coliform, aerobic mesophilic, psychrotrophic and yeast/mold counts, and without fecal coliforms. In relation to its organoleptic attributes, the beverage obtained a total average of 7.4 with a good acceptance by the tasters, fact that can collaborate for sale in specific family farming Brazilian National School Feeding Program.

Keywords

• thickener. agroindustry. organoleptic attributes. passion fruit. cassava.