Elaboración de helado de Morete (<i>Mauritia flexuosa</i> L.f.) con adición de suero lácteo

In the dairy industry, large quantities of whey are discarded and usually treated as waste. However, due to its nutritional content, whey is of interest as a substitute ingredient in food production. This study aims to develop an ice cream made from Morete pulp (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.) by partially replacing whole milk with whey. During the experimental phase, five formulations were prepared with different concentrations of whey (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). Sensory analysis was carried out with 50 panelists using a five-point hedonic scale to evaluate the color, flavor, texture, and aroma of the ice cream. The formulation with the highest sensory acceptance was the one with 75% whey, in which flavor received a score of 2, texture 4, and both color and aroma 3. Physicochemical and microbiological characterization was conducted on the formulations with the highest scores in the sensory analysis. The study supports the feasibility of using whey despite a decrease in the nutritional quality of the ice cream due to this addition. However, the inclusion of Morete pulp partially compensated for the loss of certain nutrients. Microbiological analyses showed that the ice cream met the NTE INEN 0706 2013 food safety standards, regardless of the percentage of whey used. This proposal presents a beneficial and promising alternative to reduce the environmental impact of the dairy industry by improving production efficiency through the use of a dairy by-product.