Comparative study of methods for the determination of the total dry matter in dulce de leche

Abstract

Dulce de leche is a typical product from Latin America, produced and consumed in large scale in Brazil and Argentina. In Brazil the Dulce de leche production is done by many companies from handmade by large firms generating products with a large variation in quality especially in physical-chemical (moisture/total dry matter) and sensory characteristics (color, appearance, texture, taste). The moisture content and the total dry matter are determined through the evaporation of water of the product or loss of the moisture in suitable temperature and evaluation until constant weight. The objective of this study was to compare four methods for determining of total dry matter described by Silva et. al. (1997), Brasil (2006-A,B) and Adolfo Lutz (1985). No significant differences (p>0,05) were found between the average values of total dry matter by the methods employed. In accordance with the data obtained in the total dry matter analysis for Dulce de leche concluded that the used methods in this work had presented high precision and repeatability. The Brazil (2006- A) method in addition to being a method recommended by the Brazilian legislation for total solids analysis in milk products presented greater ease in the analysis execution being therefore the method suggested for determining the total dry matter in Dulce de leche.