High-intensity ultrasound energy density: How different modes of application influence the quality parameters of a dairy beverage

This study evaluated the influence of the high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) technology on the quality parameters of a model dairy beverage (chocolate whey beverage), operating under the same energy density (5000 J/mL), but applied at different ways. Two processes were performed varying nominal power and processing time: HIUS-A (160 W and 937 s), and HIUS-B (720 W and 208 s). Our objective was to understand how different modes of application of the same HIUS energy density could influence the microstructure, droplet size distribution, zeta potential, phase separation kinetic, color parameters and mineral profile of the chocolate whey beverage. The results demonstrated that the different modes of application of the same HIUS energy density directly influenced the final quality of the product, resulting in whey beverages with distinct physical and microstructural characteristics. The HIUS-B processing was characterized as a thermal processing, since the final processing temperature reached 71 °C, while the HIUS-A processing was a non-thermal process, reaching a final temperature of 34 °C. Moreover, HIUS-B process greatly reduced the droplet size and increased the lightness value in relation to the HIUS-A processing. Both treatments resulted in whey beverages with similar phase separation kinetics and were more stable than the untreated sample. The HIUS processes did not modify the mineral content profile. Overall, the study emphasizes the versatility of the HIUS technology, highlighting that the processing must not be based only on the applied energy density, since different powers and processing times produce dairy beverages with distinct characteristics63CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP302423/2015-0sem informação2015/22226-6The authors gratefully acknowledge the CAPES Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Brazil) scholarship granted to Sara Hadass M. C Monteiro in his doctorate degree (Finance code 001) and postdoctoral assistantship granted to Jonas de T. Guimarães. Eric Keven Silva thanks FAPESP (2015/22226-6) for his postdoctoral assistantship at University of Campinas. M. Angela A. Meireles thanks CNPq – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Brazil) for her productivity grant (302423/2015-0