Innovations in plant-based beverages and dehydrated products with added enzymes: from the analysis of commercial products to laboratory production

Abstract

This work was the result of an Doctorate of Academic Innovation (DAI) linked to the Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora with support from the John Bean Technologies Corporation. The aim was to expand knowledge in the area of plant-based beverages and the application of enzymes for producing dehydrated dairy products to generate innovations for both the academia and industry. This work is divided into four chapters: Chapter 1 Physicochemical aspects of industrial plant-based beverages; Chapter 2 Physicochemical analysis of thermally treated commercial plant-based beverages with coffee added; Chapter 3 The effect of transglutaminase on the characteristics of lactose free skimmed milk powder; and Chapter 4 Study of Maillard reaction markers and color parameters of concentrated milk added with lactase and transglutaminase at different addition times and heat treatment conditions. Chapters 1 and 2 establish promising results for academia and address the lack of literature on commercial plantbased beverages. Furthermore, the two chapters present data that can help industries producing plant-based beverages in the standardization of these products, which is challenging because of the wide variety of vegetables and ingredients used for their formulation in the absence of specific legislation. Chapters 3 and 4 present results applicable to both the academic and industrial environment related to the lactase and transglutaminase enzymes, which can address problems related to the chemistry, technology, and production of dehydrated dairy products using spray dryers. Notably, this work is relevant for advancing our understanding of the transglutaminase enzyme, which still requires unification of its use by regulations at a global level. Its use in dairy products was recently approved in Brazil. Finally, these chapters were or will be submitted and published as articles in international journals and are directly in line with the theme of the MAI/DAI project entitled ‘Technological development and innovation in the food and beverage production chain’ (Call 12/2020 from CNPq).