This study evaluated the effects of the addition of encapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus and green banana biomass on the characteristics of requeijão cremoso processed cheese during the storage period of 45 days under refrigeration. The elaborated requeijões cremosos processed cheeses included addition of encapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus as probiotic source, and green banana biomass as partial fat substitute, in a total of five treatments. Analyses were performed to evaluate probiotic viability, microbiological conditions, centesimal composition (moisture, fat, fat in dry extract, protein, ashes, carbohydrates), water activity, resistant starch, colour, texture, lipid profile and sensory acceptability. The addition of green banana biomass and fat reduction resulted in changes in the centesimal composition of the cheeses, with their moisture indexes increased and protein decreased, the F1 formulation was the only one that can be considered as low fat content and was also the one that presented higher moisture. The yellowish white coloration of the formulations was altered as a function of the composition as well as the texture parameters, F1 and F3 treatments presented the greatest changes. Probiotic viability did not differ between formulations, it only changed over time.

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The production and consumption of dulce de leche is one of the most important sweets in the Mercosul Region. However, recent studies have shown consumers’ interest for healthier food and no lactose products, hence creating a demand for this study aims to develop a more nutritional lactose-free dulce de leche with less calories and higher yielding by adding green banana biomass. Five lactose-free dulce de leche formulas have been elaborated in which four were added 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of green banana biomass and one of them received a standard 0.5% of commercial starch addition. The samples were evaluated regarding its microbiological, physicochemical and sensorial quality. The different lactose-free dulce de leche formulas attended the microbiological standards and demonstrated an increased yield of the green banana biomass concentration. The results indicated that the rise of the green banana biomass concentration has increased moisture and decreased protein, lipids and calories levels. In regards of acceptance, all samples evaluated received grades between 7.23 to 8.72, that is, above 6 which is the minimum value accepted to all the evaluated attributes hence demonstrating the acceptance on behalf of evaluators. All samples presented high ratios of intent to purchase therefore confirming the acceptance results found. It has been observed that the use of green banana biomass aggregated positive characteristics to the product and did not influence the sensorial quality of the sweets, seeing that all of them could improve their yield and thus demonstrating to be a good option to the development of healthier products.

The consumption and consequent production of butter has increased considerably in recent years. In order to know the butters sold in Brazil, the study aimed to analyze butters of Brazilian, French, Italian and Argentine origin. The samples were analyzed for fat content, moisture, Defatted Dry Extract (DDE), and total acidity for comparison with Brazilian legislation. The levels of chlorides, protein, ash, total dry extract, water activity, color and determination of the lipid profile were also determined. In all analyses, there was a statistically significant difference between the samples. Some samples showed disagreement with the quality requirements recommended in Brazilian legislation for commercialization. Indeed, 10 samples did not present the minimum fat content required, varying from 68.53% to 77.31% in butters with salt and from 71.64% to 81.72% in those without salt. Eight samples presented humidity levels above the legal recommendations, varying from 17.05% to 20.28%. All products were in agreement with acidity levels. The predominant fatty acids in all samples were myristic acid (C14: 0), palmitic acid (C16: 0), stearic acid (C18: 0) and oleic acid (C18: 1n9). The regional influence, breed and handling of the animals and season of the year in which the milk was obtained for butter production, were suggested to be the main reason for the physical-chemical difference found between the samples.

The increased demand for foods that provide nutritional and health benefits increased research in probiotic microorganisms applied to dairy products. Probiotics are affected by several factors that decrease their action on the gastrointestinal system, making it vital to protect them using encapsulation techniques that allow their incorporation into various food products. The study herein aimed to evaluate the best way to incorporate Lactobacillus acidophilus (free and encapsulated) to Requeijão cremoso processed cheese varieties. The microorganism was applied to different curd formulations using green banana biomass as a partial fat substitute. The pH, probiotic viability during shelf life and throughout the simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and capsules produced were assessed. While applying free Lactobacillus acidophilus to Requeijão cremoso varieties proved functionally ineffective, the encapsulated formulations presented satisfactory probiotic counts in all treatments (8–10 log CFU g-1).