Development of a Water Kefir Beverage Made From Jackfruit Processing By-product and Its Potential Probiotic Property

Abstract

Water kefir is a fermented probiotic drink produced by the fermentation of dried sugary fruits and sugar using water kefir grains. It is characterized by its fizzy and slightly acidic and alcoholic taste. Instead of using fresh or dried fruits and sugar as raw materials in fermentation, this study aims to explore the utilization of jackfruit concentrate, a by-product of dehydrated jackfruit production. The beverage formulation was performed through a 3 x 3 factorial design with independent variables: jackfruit concentrate (25–75%v/v) and kefir grains (5–15%w/v) levels. Through response surface methodology (RSM), the kefir fermented jackfruit beverage (JFB) formulation was optimized with 75%v/v jackfruit concentrate and 9.7475%w/v kefir grains that could give optimal values of product acceptability score of 7 in the nine-point Hedonic scale, total soluble solids (TSS) of 10.0019, and pH of 4.2864. Regression analysis shows it cannot predict the microbial count of the product; however, the microbial viabilities of all the treatments range from 7.55 x 106 to 3.44 x 107 CFU/mL, which suggests that the formulated beverage has a good probiotic potential. Acceptability studies also suggest that the product has good market acceptability in terms color, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and general acceptability.