Application of multiple sensory evaluations to produce fermented beverages made from sole whey using <i>Kluyveromyces marxianus</i>

Abstract

Summary Various fermented whey‐based beverages have been developed to reduce waste. However, approaches to increase the preference of whey‐based beverages are required because of the low sensory acceptability of whey. Here, we identified the better starting material (whey type), between raw whey (RW) and demineralised whey (DMW), and determined the optimal initial concentration using multiple sensory evaluations to develop acceptable fermented beverages made from sole whey with pure cultured Kluyveromyces marxianus (i.e. without additional ingredients and processing methods). Acceptance tests showed that fermented beverages made from DMW were superior to RW as the starting material. The amounts of ethanol produced were 5.0%, 7.6% and 9.5% v/v from the different initial DMW concentrations of 10%, 15% and 20% w/v, respectively. We observed a significant positive correlation ( r s = 0.32, P &lt; 0.05) between the assessment attributes, strength of taste as alcohol beverage and overall acceptability, indicating that higher concentrations of DMW yielded a more desirable product.