Efectos de la cascarilla de cacao (theobroma cacao) en una bebida láctea sobre las características físico-químicas, microbiológicas y organolépticas

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of doses of cocoa husks (Theobroma cacao) in a dairy beverage on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics, governed by NTE INEN 2564 (2011) of dairy beverages. Five levels of cocoa husk addition (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15%) were used, and a unifactorial arrangement was used, obtaining five treatments with three replicates. In the characterization of the cocoa husk, 5.07% fat and 22.22% fiber were evidenced. The milk drink in the parameters of acidity, syneresis, fiber, pH and °Brix presented statistical differences, therefore, they were evaluated by the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, while protein, lactose and viscosity were applied by the Tukey test demonstrating that there were significant differences (sig.>0.05). All treatments for the protein variable complied with the provisions of NTE INEN 2564 (2011), while the lactose analysis exceeded the permissible limit; however, T5 was chosen as the best combination that favorably influenced the characteristics of viscosity, lactose, pH, Brix and Fiber. Regarding the microbiological analysis, the treatments did not meet the requirements of NTE INEN 2564:2011, therefore, sensory analysis was not performed on untrained tasters.