Development and evaluation of a plant-based beverage made from baru (Dipteryx alata Vog) nut with cocoa flavor

New products developed with the aim of replacing sucrose with other sweeteners aim to align with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and current Brazilian legislation, aiming to reduce sugar consumption. Sucrose is widely used in the food industry, and its excessive consumption can lead to health issues, which justifies its replacement with natural and safe sweeteners, such as allulose. In addition, baru has potential for use in food development due to adding value and meeting consumer demand for sustainability, healthiness, and new flavors. Thus, the objective of the study was to elaborate two formulations of plant-based winter beverages using baru nuts with cocoa flavor, added soluble coffee, and cinnamon. One formulation included the addition of sucrose (FS), while the other was sweetened with allulose (FA). The nuts were soaked for 15 hours and then washed, subsequently, they were blended for 3 minutes, combined with other formulation ingredients, strained, homogenized and pasteurized at 80°C for 30 minutes, cooled, and stored under refrigeration. These formulations were characterized based on pH, apparent viscosity (ηap) at 10°C), total soluble solids (TSS), apparent density, and microbiological quality. The results revealed that the FS and FA samples exhibited, respectively,similar mean values for pH (6.35 and 6.29), ηap (0.2638 and 0.2367 Pa.s), TSS (22.06 and 21.86 ºBrix) and apparent density of 1,15 (g/cm3) for both formulations. These findings suggest that allulose has the potential to be a suitable substitute for sucrose without altering these characteristics of the samples. The microbiological analyses demonstrated the absence of Salmonella, confirming that the beverages are in compliance with the standards established by legislation, ensuring their quality and safety for consumption, for five days. Moreover, the nutritional benefits (zero calories) offered by allulose can contribute to the adoption of new dietary habits.