Note: Color development rate in dulce de leche
The time necessary to obtain the characteristic dulce de leche color at different temperatures was studied. Samples were held at constant temperature until they reached a standard prescribed color. Sensorial analysis of the final color of the samples was performed in order to detect any difference. Results showed that color among samples was not significantly different (p = 0.95). Arrhenius equation was used to correlate the kinetics results. Variance analysis showed a very good correlation of experimental data (r2 = 0.98). The apparent activation energy values for both studied systems were similar (13.88–14.45 kcal mol–1) but somewhat smaller than those given by other authors for similar systems. The global rate constant value of color formation process at any temperature was slightly larger when the protein/carbohydrate ratio was higher.