Design and construction of a dairy fermenter to make colombiansuerocosteño from whey

Abstract

Suero Costeño is a fermented dairy product traditionally produced in the Colombian Caribbean Coast, especially in most municipalities of the Departments of Bolívar, Sucre, Córdoba and Cesar. The objective of this work was to design and build a dairy fermenter to produce Suero Costeño from cow milk and whey, coupled with temperature control, pH and stirring rate. First, the analysis and calculation of the materials used to design the fermenter were carried out. Finally, the equipment was constructed and validated by manufacturing of Suero Costeño using an experimental design fraction one third of a factorial design 3 2 , where the factors (with their respective levels) were: cow milk (75 %, 65 % and 50 %) and whey (25 %, 35 % and 50 %). Then, the response variables measured were colour, odour, taste and general appearance. Temperature control (From T room to 65 °C), stirring rate (up to 100 rpm) and pH were evaluated as well. The results of the sensory analysis of the Suero Costeño were acceptable and it was feasible its elaboration in the fermenter since it had the appropriate characteristics of this product. In addition, the yield in the fermenter was higher than that obtained by the traditional method, due to the control of variables such as temperature and agitation speed, which is fundamental in the process. Furthermore, the time to produce Suero Costeño with the equipment built in this work was reduced from 20 h in the artisanal process to 8 h in the fermenter.