Development and shelf-life determination of pasteurized, microfiltered, lactose hydrolyzed skim milk.

The segment of the world population showing permanent or temporary lactose intolerance is quite significant. Because milk is a widely consumed food with an high nutritional value, technological alternatives have been sought to overcome this dilemma. Microfiltration combined with pasteurization can not only extend the shelf life of milk but can also maintain the sensory, functional, and nutritional properties of the product. This studied developed a pasteurized, microfiltered, lactose hydrolyzed (delactosed) skim milk (PMLHSM). Hydrolysis was performed using ß-galactosidase at a concentration of 0.4mL/L and incubation for approximately 21h at 10±1°C. During these procedures, the degree of hydrolysis obtained (>90%) was accompanied by evaluation of freezing point depression, and the remaining quantity of lactose was confirmed by HPLC. Milk was processed using a microfiltration pilot unit equipped with uniform transmembrane pressure (UTP) ceramic membranes with a mean pore size of 1.4 µm and UTP of 60 kPa. The product was submitted to physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory evaluations, and its shelf life was estimated. Microfiltration reduced the aerobic mesophilic count by more than 4 log cycles. We were able to produce high-quality PMLHSM with a shelf life of 21 to 27d when stored at 5±1°C in terms of sensory analysis and proteolysis index and a shelf life of 50d in regard to total aerobic mesophile count and titratable acidity.

Acerola nectar with added microencapsulated probiotic

The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of a probiotic microorganism microencapsulated in cellulose acetate phthalate, added to acerola nectar. The changes in pH, Brix, organic acid content and color of the product during its shelf-life were evaluated. A total of 3 processing runs were carried out on a semi-industrial scale, each consisting of a 15-liter batch of acerola nectar with added prebiotics and a microencapsulated probiotic culture. The physicochemical characteristics of the samples remained stable throughout storage. After 30 days storage the acerola nectar samples containing microencapsulated probiotic microorganisms exhibited counts above 8 log CFU per 200 mL, within the limits set by the Brazilian regulation for functional foods. On the other hand, the samples containing...(AU)