Abstract: This study developed a sweet corn beverage using ‘Hua Nai Tianyu 782’ sweet corn as the raw material via a series of processes including pulping, enzymatic hydrolysis, formulation, and homogenization, with further optimization of its key processing parameters. For the enzymatic hydrolysis process, the dosage of high-temperature α-amylase, hydrolysis time, and hydrolysis temperature were selected as optimization variables. Single-factor experiments and orthogonal test design were adopted, with soluble solid content as the evaluation index to determine the optimal enzymatic hydrolysis conditions. In the formulation process, the amounts of white granulated sugar, salt, and κ-carrageenan added were taken as optimization variables. Orthogonal tests were performed for optimization, with centrifugal precipitation rate, suspension stability, and sensory score as the evaluation indexes. The results showed that the optimal solid-liquid ratio for pulping was 1∶6; the optimal enzymatic hydrolysis conditions were as follows: high-temperature α-amylase addition of 120 U/g, enzymolysis temperature of 100 ℃, and hydrolysis of 90 min. The corn juice prepared under these conditions was subjected to blending. When the amounts of white granulated sugar, salt, and κ-carrageenan added were 5%, 0.05%, and 0.06%, respectively, the final product exhibited a rich aroma, uniform and delicate texture, with no visible particles, stratification, or precipitation. It possessed excellent color and taste, achieving a sensory score of 94.8. The study indicates that κ-carrageenan can disperse the fine particles in corn juice, leading to a more uniform distribution, thereby stabilizing the sweet corn juice system, enhancing the smoothness and delicacy, and improving texture uniformity.

Key words: sweet corn, process optimization, enzymatic hydrolysis, formulation