EXPLOITATION OF RESIDUAL WHEY FROM CHEESE PRODUCING ENTERPRISES IN THE REGIONS OF NORTHERN COLIMA AND SOUTHERN JALISCO FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FERMENTED LOW-GRADE ALCOHOL BEVERAGE

The present investigation approaches the existent problematic in the North region of the state of Colima and the south of Jalisco, generated by the cheese producing companies by indiscriminately dumping their residual whey directly into the drainage, causing contamination of the water resources, damage to ecosystems as well as the flora and fauna that depends on them; In addition, this waste can be of great commercial value for the microenterprises of the region. So, it is proposed the development of a new product taking advantage of the alcoholic and lactic fermentation produced in the whey, which gives it new chemical, physical and sensory conditions. The project was divided into two stages, the first consists of the formulation of six different whey-based drinks, the first three elaborated from fermentation with kefir grains, whey, sucrose and honey in different concentrations, and the last three fermented with Kluyveromyces marxianus-Saccharomyces cerevisiae and as a substrate of a mixture of milk whey, sucrose and honey, of these six formulations the two best organoleptic characteristics obtained were chosen. From there, in stage two of the project these two taken as a basis for the formulation of two new beverages, which were: Tkéfir (Whey + Kefir grains + Sucrose), TK. marxianus (Whey + K. marxianus-S. cerevisiae + Sucrose); the fermentations were registered under the same conditions, the only variant was the time, due to the fact that the fermentation of the whey / Kluyveromyces marxianus after the seven days, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was added and it was left to ferment a week more so that it fulfills the desired characteristics, and whey / kefir only needs four days, being the drink that presented better characteristics. Fermented beverages that are made in a formulation with an alcohol content between 2.5 and 2.9%, an alcoholic degree lower than that which contains the refreshing alcoholic beverages (4.5-6.0%), with an alkaline protein content of 3 g / 100 ml and without fat. These drinks were accepted by the panel of evaluators, so they represent a refreshing and at the same time nutritious product that could contribute to the improvement of the diet of young people and adults