The main factors affecting the texture of a fondant are its formulation, related to the presence of other ingredients besides sucrose, the crystallization temperature, beater design and beater speed. This investigation evaluated the influence of process parameters on the textural characteristics and water activity of fondants produced with glucose syrup obtained by hydrolyzing manioc starch. A small-scale prototype of an industrial beater with a capacity for 1 to 2 kg.h-1 was designed and tested. It consisted of a double jacketed cylinder containing a screw conveyor. The screw size (diameter, length and path), gap between the screw and the external tube and the range of screw rotation (a frequency inverter was coupled to the motor to allow for speed changes) were used as design criteria. Samples of fondant formulated with sucrose and 42DE manioc starch syrup were produced, and the influence of the crystallization temperature and rotation speed on the texture and water activity evaluated by a central composite design based on the fit to a second-order polynomial model, using response surface methodology. The results indicated that, considering the responses for water activity and texture, the use of the fondant beater equipped with a 250 mm length screw with a 27.2 mm diameter, allowed one to obtain an appropriate texture and microbiological stability using manioc starch syrup levels of at least 20% (minimum water activity), rotation speed between 105 and 110 rpm and an initial beating temperature of 60 °C.
fondant; Crystallization; Cassava syrup; Continuous beater; Texture
