Abstract

S3-03

Banana Yoghurt-Like Cassava Starch Beverage

Corte F, A. Kafka and S.V. de Fabrizio

Diets are changing rapidly in Asia, Africa and Latin America.  New trends in developing countries are towards more processed foods, due to the changes in cultural factors and increasing and faster exchange of information and habits.  These encourage local farmers and processors to combine fresh and processed products to satisfy the more informed and demanding consumers interested in modern special diets, particularly the vegetarians.  In the previous CBN congresses, we presented lactic-fermented cassava starch/3% milk beverages intending to increase the protein content, as compared with starch-based foods.  Our objective now, is the substitution of milk for vegetable proteins to obtain a lactic-fermented beverage of a good acceptability.  The formulation consists of 4% cassava starch and 6% fresh blended banana.  This mixture was thermally treated, to eliminate natural micro-flora and fermented with Lactobacillus bulgaricus 41104 and Streptococcus thermophilus 19552 at 42–43°C.  The pH and the total lactic-bacteria count were recorded.  A vegetable yoghurt-like drink with the probiotic properties of yoghurt was obtained, a functional food for people who are lactose intolerance, celiac and sensitive to milk proteins.  High protein-content Cassava genotypes, developed in the framework of CBN, are interesting alternatives to improve the protein value of this product.