**6. Conclusions**

It has been shown that dulce de leche is typically produced, marketed, and consumed by small, medium, and large dairy manufacturers in South America. Dulce de leche is made via concentration and heat processing of liquid milk plus sucrose. The color and taste of dulce de leche are primarily determined by the Maillard reaction, which is enhanced by the heating processes used. Dulce de leche may be consumed as a paste or bar. Both may be manufactured on small and large scales, in open-top pans or in evaporators. The DL Technical Regulation classifies dulce de leche according to fat content and additional ingredients. It has been noted that certain production variables can influence dulce de leche's physical-chemical, compositional, and sensorial characteristics. Therefore, understanding the product's chemistry, the technology used to manufacture it is relevant in order to develop more extensive standardization practices of the products available to consumers.
