Rheological Behavior of Low‐Fat Dulce De Leche with Added Xanthan Gum

Dulce de leche (DL), a typical jam of South America, is commercialized with diverse flow characteristics that corresponds to its different uses. In order to predict the adequate composition to obtain target rheological properties, low‐fat dulce de leche (LF‐DL) samples with different water (23.7–60.3%) and xanthan gum (0.173–0.555%) contents were prepared using skim milk (0% fat), sucrose (172.7 g/L) and glucose (28.98 g/L) following the traditional method, and their flow behavior was measured. Steady‐state flow curves were modeled and the obtained Herschel‐Bulkley's parameters were regressed as a function of water and xanthan gum contents; from this set of equations, an adequate composition to produce LF‐DL with flow behavior similar to a premium commercial brand was predicted. The procedure was experimentally validated. A mathematical useful tool for the industry to calculate a suitable formulation to obtain a given type of LF‐DL is presented. Practical Applications Dulce de leche (DL) is a complex biopolymeric matrix, with milk proteins, sugar and more than 6% of fat. This paper studies the effect of moisture and xanthan gum (as fat replacer) in the rheological properties of a low‐fat dulce de leche (LF‐DL). It provides a tool for understanding the flow behavior of LF‐DL and to determine the required composition of this system needed to achieve a selected rheological behavior. In order to obtain a mathematical model to predict the compositon that would present the desired viscosity for each product application, the formulation of LF‐DL with xanthan gum as fat replacer was related with viscosity of the product. Employing the proposed methodology, it was possible to select the combination of components to obtain LF‐DL with similar rheological characteristics to a traditional commercial brand well accepted by consumers.