This study aimed to explore innovative process technologies for producing milk liqueurs with balanced and stable formulations. Milk liqueurs are known to pose significant technological challenges due to phase separation, which compromises product stability and reduces shelf-life. Interactions between milk proteins, alcohol, carbohydrates, temperature, and ionic strength play a crucial role in such destabilization. Pectin, known for its stabilizing effect, can mitigate phase separation, enhancing both shelf-life and sensory quality. This research focused on developing stable formulations of liqueur milk based on fresh buffalo milk by incorporating the pectin extracted from lemon peels. Rheological properties, particularly viscosity, were assessed in formulations containing varying percentages of pectin. The most stable formulation was identified as the one containing 0.10% pectin. Accelerated shelf-life testing, modelled using the Arrhenius equation, predicted a shelf-life of 15 months at 25 °C under standard lighting. The findings demonstrate that lemon peel-derived pectin, obtained from agri-food waste, sustainably improves product stability. Further studies are needed to characterize the pectin structure and optimize extraction methods for industrial-scale applications.

Authors aimed to explore new process technologies for the production of liqueur creams with innovative and balanced mixtures. It is well known that cream liqueur presents considerable technological problems regarding phase separation, with consequent product instability and short shelf-life. The interactions between milk proteins, alcohol, carbohydrates and factors such as temperature and ionic strength are well known in cream liqueurs. The stabilizing effect of pectin reduces the risk of phase separation, improving shelf-life and lying the sensory qualities of the product. The aim of this research was to develop stable liqueur formulations based on fresh buffalo milk cream by adding pectin extracted from lemon peels. Rheological properties, such as viscosity, were evaluated in formulations with different pectin percentages. The formulation that was found to be most stable was the one with 0.10% pectin added. Accelerated shelf-life tests were performed on it. The application of the Arrhenius model, which was used to predict shelf-life, showed a shelf-life of 15 months, keeping the liqueur at a temperature of 25°C and under standard lighting conditions. Results showed that pectin, extracted from lemon peel waste, improves product stability in a sustainable way. However, further studies will follow to define the structure of pectin and optimize pectin extraction methods for industrial-scale applications.