QUALITY EVALUATION AND SENSORIEL ATTRIBUTES OF STEAMED YOGHURT PREPARED BY CLARIFIED DATE LIQUID SUGAR

The aim of this work was to obtain pure liquid sugars by clarification of date syrup and to evaluate the effect of the substitution of sucrose by liquid sugars on the qualities of the steamed yoghurt. One liter of distilled water at 80-85 °C was added to 200g of date during 2h, homogenized and filtered. The collected date syrup was clarified by bentonite which could result entirely clear liquid sugar. Production of liquid sugar with low levels of turbidity 45±0.4, viscosity 0.94±0.02 mPas, pectin 1.10±0.2%, dry matter 13.56±0.4%, proteins 0.17±0.3%, ash 0.16±0.03% and higher amounts of sugars 83.8±0.3% was successfully realized. This clarification was performed under same optimized conditions: concentration of bentonite 16.6 g.L-1 and temperature 60 °C for 30 minutes. The inclusion of liquid sugar for manufacture of steamed yoghurts as substitute of sucrose found a good quality and high acceptability for its sensorial characteristics. These results suggest the potential use of liquid sugars for formulation of new food products.