Aspectos sensoriais e nutricionais de doce de leite com diferentes concentrações de sacarose

Milk caramel is a dairy product with an extremely pleasant taste and surprisingly nutritious, as it provides high biological value proteins for the diet and is one of the most important sources of calcium. However, like any sweet, it also contains a significant amount of sucrose, a simple sugar that should be consumed in moderation, as exceeding the tolerable amount for the human body may lead to health problems in the medium and long term.The objective of this study was to conduct a sensory analysis of four formulations of dulce de leche with different sucrose concentrations and to discuss nutritional aspects such as energy nutrient contents and caloric values. The samples evaluated were made from 1000 g of milk with varying amounts of granulated sugar: Sweet A (100 g of sugar), Sweet B (150 g of sugar), Sweet C (200 g of sugar), and Sweet D (250 g of sugar). The evaluated attributes included appearance, overall aspect, color, flavor, texture, and purchase intent. Structured nine-point hedonic scales were used, where the extremes corresponded to “extremely disliked” (1) and “extremely liked” (9). The results were analyzed using ANOVA and the Tukey test at a 5% significance level. From the creation of nutritional information tables for the evaluated sweets, it was possible to compare their energetic nutrient contents and caloric values, supporting a discussion on nutritional aspects. Milk caramel C achieved the highest average ranking in three attributes: color, flavor, and texture. Milk caramel A was the least accepted by consumers, showing the lowest averages for flavor, appearance, texture, and purchase intent.