USO DO MURICI NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DE BEBIDAS LÁCTEAS FERMENTADAS COM PROPRIEDADES FUNCIONAIS

Abstract

The dairy drink production is one of the main options for using whey. The most commercialized are fermented dairy drinks, with sensory characteristics similar to yogurt. Murici (Byrsonima crassifolia, Malpighiaceae) is a native fruit consumed mostly in natura. When mature, it has a yellowish appearance, with average diameters ranging from 1.5 to 2 cm. The fruit pulp is fleshy, allowing its removal and application in the production of juices, dairy drinks, jellies, ice cream and liqueurs. Based on the present work, the objective was to characterize the murici fruits, and to develop different formulations of fermented dairy drinks with 20, 40, 60 and 80% of milk substitution by whey, and each formulation was prepared with the addition of 10 and 15% murici pulp. The physical-chemical characterization, determination of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of the fruit pulp and the formulations of dairy beverages were carried out. Stability during storage and the microbiological quality of milk drinks were also evaluated. The murici showed great biometric variation for the different parameters evaluated, which may be related to genetic variability and environmental factors. The fruit showed high antioxidant potential, which may be related to phenolic compounds content and vitamin C. The drinks showed absent of total coliform, fecal coliform, mold and yeast counts, and counts greater than 106 UFC mL-1 for cultures dairy products, conforming to the reference standards of the current legislation. All formulations have shown promise with regard to the application of liquid whey in human food. The use of murici pulp in their flavor, in addition to increasing the added value and enhancing the use of native fruits, contributed to the increase of bioactive compounds in dairy drinks.