Effect of xanthan, carrageenan and mono-diglyceride stabilizers on the sensory and physicochemical characteristics of cocoa milk using the response surface methodology

Phase separation and cocoa precipitation at the bottom of the bottle of cocoa milk is unpleasant from the consumer's point of view. Usually the amount of cocoa particles precipitate at the bottom of the bottle is of most importance. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of five levels of stabilizers including: xanthan, κ‐carrageenan and mono-diglyceride on the sensory and physicochemical characteristics of cocoa milk using the response surface method (RSM). Therefore, 20 treatments were produced in three blocks with six replications at the central point, then physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation tests were performed. Numerical optimization method has been applied to produce optimal cocoa milk with a suitable viscosity of 110 centipoise and the lowest amount of phase separation and precipitation. The suggested samples of the software were compared in the production laboratory with the real results of cocoa milk with a one-sample T-test software at a 95% confidence level, which confirmed the correctness of the predicted model due to the absence of significant differences. Based on the results, it was found that the increase of hydrocolloids caused an increase in viscosity as a confidence level (p<0.001), as well as an increase in product stability and a decrease in the amount of sediment formation. Sensory evaluation showed that κ‐carrageenan had the greatest effect on overall acceptance, followed by xanthan and mono-diglyceride (p<0.001).