Development and characterization of a fermented dairy beverage from permeated and concentrated sweet whey sweetened with tagatose

Membrane separation technology in the dairy industry has become a basis for the innovation and processing of new products, as well as an alternative for the use of co-products, contributing to the reduction of the environmental impact that this industry generates. The objective of this work was to develop a fermented dairy beverage using sweet whey ultrafiltration permeate (UFP) and whey protein concentrate (WPC), evaluating its effect on physicochemical and techno-functional characteristics under storage with controlled conditions. The experimental design was a simplex centroid mixtures with WPC (2-5%), UFP (51-58%), and milk (40-47%) where a non-hydrolyzed (NHFDB) and hydrolyzed (HFDB) (> at 85%) beverage was formulated. Optimum beverages were obtained by minimizing syneresis and maximizing protein content, and overall product acceptability. The results of the multiple response desirability analysis showed the following formulation: WPC (5%), UFP (52.2%), and milk (42.8%) for the non hydrolyzed fermented dairy beverage (NHFDB) and WPC (5%), UFP (51%) and milk (44%) for the hydrolyzed beverage (HFDB). The developed beverages presented a non-Newtonian behavior (pseudoplastic) and gel-like characteristics for the non-hydrolyzed beverage, high sensory quality, acidity (0.55-0.68% lactic acid), pH (4.18-4.45), and syneresis (10.7-13.2%). The non hydrolyzed fermented dairy beverage was more stable over storage time in terms of physicochemical characteristics and syneresis than the hydrolyzed fermented dairy beverage.