Physico-Chemical, Microbiological and Sensory Properties of Water Kefir Drinks Produced from Demineralized Whey and Dimrit and Shiraz Grape Varieties

Challenges in water kefir production and limitations in human consumption: A comprehensive review of current knowledge

Water kefir is a convenient dairy-free alternative to dairy-based fermented beverages. It is prepared by fermenting a sucrose solution with fresh and dried fruits using water kefir grains, and demineralized whey can be used in water kefir production. This review describes current knowledge on water kefir production and its health effects. The main aims of this paper are to focus on the microbial composition, potential health-promoting properties, limitations in human consumption, and challenges in the production of water kefir. Water kefir grains and substrates, including brown sugar, dried and fresh fruits, vegetables, and molasses, used in the production influence the fermentation characteristics and composition of water kefir. Lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeasts are the microorganisms involved in the fermentation process. Lactobacillus species are the most common microorganisms found in water kefir. Water kefir contains various bioactive compounds that have potential health benefits. Water kefir may inhibit the growth of certain pathogenic microorganisms and food spoilage bacteria, resulting in various health-promoting properties, including immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic, antiobesity, hypolipidemic, and hepatoprotective activities.

Assessment of Different Levels of Blackcurrant Juice and Furcellaran on the Quality of Fermented Whey-Based Beverages Using Rheological and Mechanical Vibration Damping Techniques

In the current study, fermented whey-based beverage models with different levels of blackcurrant juice (0; 10; 20; 100% (w/w)) and furcellaran (0.25% and 0.50% (w/w)) were produced and evaluated. Physicochemical, rheological, mechanical vibration damping, and sensory analyses were performed. During fermentation (48 h), the values of pH, density, and total soluble solids decreased. On the other hand, the ethanol content during fermentation increased up to a final content in the range of 0.92-4.86% (v/v). The addition of furcellaran was effective in terms of sediment content decrease to a level of 0.25% (w/w). In general, the samples exhibited non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behaviour. The sensory analysis revealed that the sample with a composition of 20% (w/w) blackcurrant juice and 0.50% (w/w) furcellaran received the highest score.

Bibliometric analysis of water kefir and milk kefir in probiotic foods from 2013 to 2022: A critical review of recent applications and prospects

Although milk kefir and water kefir have different physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics, several microbial species that make up kefir stand out with probiotic functions. Furthermore, because it is suitable for a variety of substrates, kefir and the species of probiotic microorganisms that make it up are seen as a promising alternative in the development of probiotic and health-promoting foods. The aim of this study was to carry out a bibliometric analysis of water kefir and milk kefir in probiotic foods and to critically analyze recent applications and prospects. Using the Scopus database, 202 documents published between 2013 and 2022 were identified and submitted to bibliometric analysis using the VOSviewer software. Regarding recent applications, 107 documents published between 2021 and June 2023 were identified. It was observed that, in the literature consulted, no study used bibliometric analysis to evaluate the use of water kefir and milk kefir in probiotic foods. Due to the presence of probiotic species, kefir has been listed as an alternative for the production of new probiotic food matrices that are beneficial to health. Recent applications show kefir's potential in the development of probiotic products based on fruit and fruit juice, whey beverages, fermented milks and derivatives, and alcoholic beverages such as beers.

Untargeted Metabolomics and Physicochemical Analysis Revealed the Quality Formation Mechanism in Fermented Milk Inoculated with Lactobacillus brevis and Kluyveromyces marxianus Isolated from Traditional Fermented Milk

Traditional fermented milk from the western Sichuan plateau of China has a unique flavor and rich microbial diversity. This study explored the quality formation mechanism in fermented milk inoculated with Lactobacillus brevis NZ4 and Kluyveromyces marxianus SY11 (MFM), the dominant microorganisms isolated from traditional dairy products in western nan. The results indicated that MFM displayed better overall quality than the milk fermented with L. brevis NZ4 (LFM) and K. marxianus SY11 (KFM), respectively. MFM exhibited good sensory quality, more organic acid types, more free amino acids and esters, and moderate acidity and ethanol concentrations. Non-targeted metabolomics showed a total of 885 metabolites annotated in the samples, representing 204 differential metabolites between MFM and LFM and 163 between MFM and KFM. MFM displayed higher levels of N-acetyl-L-glutamic acid, cysteinyl serine, glaucarubin, and other substances. The differential metabolites were mainly enriched in pathways such as glycerophospholipid metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and beta-alanine metabolism. This study speculated that L. brevis affected K. marxianus growth via its metabolites, while the mixed fermentation of these strains significantly changed the metabolism pathway of flavor-related substances, especially glycerophospholipid metabolism. Furthermore, mixed fermentation modified the flavor and quality of fermented milk by affecting cell growth and metabolic pathways.

Multi-omics characterization of the microbial populations and chemical space composition of a water kefir fermentation

In recent years, the popularity of fermented foods has strongly increased based on their proven health benefits and the adoption of new trends among consumers. One of these health-promoting products is water kefir, which is a fermented sugary beverage based on kefir grains (symbiotic colonies of yeast, lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria). According to previous knowledge and the uniqueness of each water kefir fermentation, the following project aimed to explore the microbial and chemical composition of a water kefir fermentation and its microbial consortium, through the integration of culture-dependent methods, compositional metagenomics, and untargeted metabolomics. These methods were applied in two types of samples: fermentation grains (inoculum) and fermentation samples collected at different time points. A strains culture collection of ∼90 strains was established by means of culture-dependent methods, mainly consisting of individuals of Pichia membranifaciens, Acetobacter orientalis, Lentilactobacillus hilgardii, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Acetobacter pomorum, Lentilactobacillus buchneri, Pichia kudriavzevii, Acetobacter pasteurianus, Schleiferilactobacillus harbinensis, and Kazachstania exigua, which can be further studied for their use in synthetic consortia formulation. In addition, metabarcoding of each fermentation time was done by 16S and ITS sequencing for bacteria and yeast, respectively. The results show strong population shifts of the microbial community during the fermentation time course, with an enrichment of microbial groups after 72 h of fermentation. Metataxonomics results revealed Lactobacillus and Acetobacter as the dominant genera for lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria, whereas, for yeast, P. membranifaciens was the dominant species. In addition, correlation and systematic analyses of microbial growth patterns and metabolite richness allowed the recognition of metabolic enrichment points between 72 and 96 h and correlation between microbial groups and metabolite abundance (e.g., Bile acid conjugates and Acetobacter tropicalis). Metabolomic analysis also evidenced the production of bioactive compounds in this fermented matrix, which have been associated with biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. Interestingly, the chemical family of Isoschaftosides (C-glycosyl flavonoids) was also found, representing an important finding since this compound, with hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activity, had not been previously reported in this matrix. We conclude that the integration of microbial biodiversity, cultured species, and chemical data enables the identification of relevant microbial population patterns and the detection of specific points of enrichment during the fermentation process of a food matrix, which enables the future design of synthetic microbial consortia, which can be used as targeted probiotics for digestive and metabolic health.

Kombucha and Water Kefir Grains Microbiomes' Symbiotic Contribution to Postbiotics Enhancement

Wild artisanal cultures, such as a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) and water kefir grains (WKG), represent a complex microorganism consortia that is composed of yeasts and lactic and acetic acid bacteria, with large strains of diversity and abundance. The fermented products (FPs) obtained by the microbiome's contribution can be included in functional products due to their meta-biotics (pre-, pro-, post-, and paraprobiotics) as a result of complex and synergistic associations as well as due to the metabolic functionality. In this study, consortia of both SCOBY and WKG were involved in the co-fermentation of a newly formulated substrate that was further analysed, aiming at increasing the postbiotic composition of the FPs. Plackett-Burman (PBD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) techniques were employed for the experimental designs to select and optimise several parameters that have an influence on the lyophilised starter cultures of SCOBY and WKG activity as a multiple inoculum. Tea concentration (1-3%), sugar concentration (5-10%), raisins concentration (3-6%), SCOBY lyophilised culture concentration (0.2-0.5%), WKG lyophilised culture concentration (0.2-0.5%), and fermentation time (5-7 days) were considered the independent variables for mathematical analysis and fermentation conditions' optimisation. Antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis MIUG B1, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Aspergillus niger MIUG M5, antioxidant capacity (DPPH), pH and the total acidity (TA) were evaluated as responses. The rich postbiotic bioactive composition of the FP obtained in optimised biotechnological conditions highlighted the usefulness of the artisanal co-cultures, through their symbiotic metabolic interactions for the improvement of bioactive potential.