Rheological Characterization of Dulce de Leche, a Confectionery Dairy Product

¹ Instituto da Tecnologia de Alimentos, Ciudad Universitaria, C. C. 428, 3000 Sante Fe, Argentina

The rheological behavior of 16 samples of Dulce de Leche (milky taffy or caramel jam) was studied. Their flows were characterized by two types of mathematical models, Casson's and Herschel and Bulkley's, and a structural model of Michaels-Bolger. Agreement of the experimental data with all models was high (r = .99), and models adequately interpreted the response of product submitted to shear stress, thus confirming previous results. Submitted to shear stress, the product had an initial resistance to flow from a plastic component; when the resistance was overcome, the flow had a pseudoplastic behavior. The flow is characterized through three parameters of the structural model: ₀, resistance of the reticular structure to be destroyed by shearing; _b, the stress necessary to break the linking between aggregates; and , viscosity. Finally, the rheological parameters under study are correlated with the corresponding experimental texture measurements.

Key Words: rheology • Dulce de Leche • flow properties

Submitted on January 6, 1988
Accepted on June 2, 1989