Using dry yogurt acid whey as an upcycled ingredient in pancake mix
Dry yogurt acid whey (DYAW) is the dried powder produced after concentrating and freeze-drying yoghurt acid whey (YAW). YAW is a by-product of the Greek Yoghurt industry that requires further processing prior to proper disposal or upcycling. Recent research highlights that YAW can be repurposed in several different food formulations as a successfully upcycled and value-added ingredient. Previous formulations using YAW include ranch dressing, sports beverages, and pizza crust among others. The following research aimed to explore the use of DYAW in a dry pancake mix (just add water and shortening) clean label formulation. Different formulations with added DYAW were studied varying from 6 to 23% w/w of the dry pancake mix. The best formulation contained 12% DYAW in the pancake mix. The sensory attributes of the prepared pancakes, as well as their overall acceptability by consumers were analyzed and reported. The study concludes that DYAW can be successfully used as an upcycled ingredient in dry pancake mix, with an overall improvement in important sensory attributes of pancakes such as sweetness and fluffiness.