Effects of Dried Wolffia Powder on the Quality of Corn Milk Beverage Mixed with Dried Wolffia Powder

Wolffia is a plant-based protein alternative that has recently gained significant much attention due to its nutritional value and its ability to be processed into a variety of food products. This research aimed to study the effects of mixing different amounts of dried Wolffia powder with corn milk beverage, especially in terms of quality. This was done by analyzing important chemical components for application in the development of plant-protein beverage products with high nutritional value in order to meet the needs of today’s health-conscious consumers. The development of a corn milk product mixed with dried Wolffia powder was divided into 4 treatments. The first step was to study the analysis of protein and water activity in fresh corn and dried Wolffia powder to use as basic information for research and development to improve the treatment of corn milk beverage mixed with dried Wolffia powder. It was found that the protein and water activity values were 2.71, 2.54%, 0.950 and 0.475, respectively. A physicochemical, microbiological and sensory analysis of the beverage product was conducted. The Completely Randomized Design experimental design was used for physicochemical product analysis, while the Randomized Complete Block Design experimental design was used for sensory evaluation analysis. The results showed that different amounts of dried Wolffia powder affected the physicochemical properties in all treatments, except for the total acidity percentage. The microbiological results showed that the microorganisms in all treatments were within the specified standards (Community Product Standard 124/2003). The sensory analysis results from 30 untrained panelists using the 9-point hedonic scale test found that the beverage product added with 1% of dried Wolffia powder received the highest liking score in all aspects, including appearance, color, odor, taste and overall acceptability. The experimental results indicated that the corn milk beverage mixed with dried Wolffia powder had a high overall liking level among beverage products. Therefore, the study of Wolffia plant-based protein is beneficial as it is another intriguing alternative use in the development of beverage products, thus increasing nutritional value for health-conscious individuals. Further, It is suitable for development into health beverage products that meet consumer demand and expand production capacity in the food industry.