CHARACTERIZATION AND MICROSCOPIC EVALUATION OF CONDENSED MILK PRODUCED IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Brazilian condensed milk showed a favorable performance between the years 1996 and 2006, reaching over 50% exports of dairy products. Thus, it is important to raise awareness about the quality attributes of the national condensed milk. The objective of this study was to characterize and evaluate eight national commercial brands of condensed milk, with emphasis on microscopic evaluation of the presence of large lactose crystals, defect known as grittiness. Each brand was analyzed for the attributes size and number of lactose crystals, humidity content, lactose and sucrose, by performing three authentic replicates. The brand number eight showed the highest value for lactose mass cristalizable by unit product (33,6g.395g-1). There were significant differences between brands of condensed milk for the attributes size and number of lactose crystals. It was found a significant positive correlation between lactose content and number of lactose crystals (p<0,021). Microscopic analysis for condensed milk contributed to evaluate the quality of the product and microcrystalization process and through ease of use and relevance of the obtained information, it becomes an important tool available to industry's quality control.

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