SummaryThis work aimed to verify the influence of prior homogenization and storage temperature on the crystallization of honey. Honeys from Campos Gerais, PR Brazil, were used for the experiments. The samples were subjected to homogenization at 0, 180, 360 and 540 rpm for 15 minutes and stored at 15 °C or 25 °C. Crystallization was monitored by the colour, absorbance at 660 nm and moisture analysis. At the end of the experiment, the crystal sizes were determined by optical microscopy and laser diffraction. It could be observed that the samples kept at 15 °C and homogenized by agitation at 360 or 540 rpm showed crystal formation after 7 days of storage, while all the samples stored at 25 °C showed crystal formation after 20 days. It was also observed that the effect of temperature was much more pronounced than that of mechanical agitation during homogenization. All the samples stored at 15 °C developed crystals that were smaller than 20 μm.

Lactose intolerance is a disorder that affects a large part of the population, in this sense, it becomes feasible the study of manufacturing techniques that make it possible to guarantee the elaboration of products with low lactose content. Taking this into account, the present study aimed to evaluate the lactose content and physical-chemical characteristics of washed mass cheeses during the maturation period. Pasteurized whole milk with initial lactose percentage of 4.55 g/100 g was used and after coagulation, cutting and stirring, a partial (10% of the initial volume) whey removal was followed by addition of the same volume of hot water at 75 °C. Cheeses were analyzed at 0, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days of maturation for lactose content, acidity, pH, water activity, moisture, fixed mineral residue and chlorides. A lactose content of less than 0.005 g/100 g was obtained shortly after manufacturing (fresh product). The starter culture used and the process of washing the mass likely contributed to the low lactose content of the cheeses. Thereby is presented a viable alternative for the production of naturally lactose-free cheeses.

Prunus mume is widely studied due to its health benefits regarding increase of blood fluidity and consequent improvement of the cardiovascular system and the prevention or even the fight against different types of cancer. However, in Brazil this culture is found only among oriental descendants. The present study aimed to characterize mume fruit collected from three different locations in the State of São Paulo regarding general aspects such as pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TTS), pectin content and yield of pulp and chemical characteristics: total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant capacity. Mume fruit were collected unripe and analyzed until maturation about 88 days after flowering. Fruit collected in Botucatu came from a commercial mume fruit producer and had average weight of 16.9 g, while in fruit from other locations weight varied from 5.7-6.9 g. TSS ranged from 9.5 to 10.0 Brix, total solids was 10.2-12.2% and pH showed values between 2.5 and 2.7 for all locations. TTA expressed in citric acid decreased from 4.0-5.7 g (100g- 1) at unripe stage to 2.0-3.8 g (100g- 1) in mature-stage fruit. Pectin content decreased from 11.2 to 10.8% during fruit maturation, TPC content was 147-226 mg catechin (g- 1) on a dry matter basis and the antioxidant capacity was 96-169 µMol Trolox (g- 1) on a dry matter basis or 21-34 µMol Trolox (g- 1) on a wet matter basis.

Honey is a commercial product that presents difficulties in food industries related to crystallization inside the packages. Dry ingredients are easy to handle. Honey co‐crystallized with sucrose is a dry productthat can be used in the food industry as long as fulfillsafety and sensory requirements. The objective of this work was to produce and characterize honey co‐crystallized with sucrose using 9 different samples of honey. The process of co‐crystallization of honey (15%) with sucrose resulted productswith water activity from 0.38 to 0.51, moisture values ranging from 1.25 to 2.04% (wet basis), good fluidity (repose angles from 23.40 to 32.28 °) and apparent density from 0.46 to 0.55 gcm^‐3. The products presented morphological structure characteristic of co‐crystallization products. Final products showed good overall sensory acceptance, which opens the possibility of using co‐crystallized honey in food industries.

As recentes mudanças na Legislação Brasileira para chocolates abriram novas perspectivas para os fabricantes de gorduras e chocolates, já que permite a substituição parcial da manteiga de cacau por gorduras alternativas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar as propriedades térmicas (temperatura de fusão e entalpia) de amostras cristalizadas de manteiga de cacau com gorduras alternativas para futuras aplicações em chocolates. Os resultados mostraram que o maior decréscimo no ponto de fusão das misturas ocorreu a partir da incorporação de 10% de cupuaçu ou CBR na manteiga de cacau. Já para as misturas com gordura CBS, a diminuição no seu ponto de fusão é evidente desde 5% de CBS na manteiga de cacau. A metodologia para determinação do ponto de fusão via DSC se mostrou mais precisa do que a metodologia via RMN. O valor de entalpia da manteiga de cacau pura foi de 92,7 J/g.