Abstract
Kefir is a natural fermented dairy beverage obtained by fermenting milk with kefir starter grains. However, up to now, there is still no efficient approach to producing stable kefir grains by using the pure or cultural mixture of strains isolated from the original kefir grains. Therefore, new techniques need to be taken to promote the kefir grain production. To this purpose, an encapsulated vector produced by entrapment of the dominant strains isolated from kefir grain and the cheese vector which was produced by a traditional manufacturing method was used to mimic kefir grain forming, respectively. Then, the composition, microstructure, and microflora of the two vectors were investigated and were compared with the natural kefir grains. Results indicated that the protein and polysaccharide content of cheese vector were much higher than encapsulated vector; the distribution of microorganisms inside the cheese vector was more similar to that inside the natural kefirs. It indicated that the cheese vector would be more suitable to mimic kefir grain production. Results of the present investigations reveal the potential of the cheese vector for kefir grains production at the industrial level.
Highlights
Kefir is a viscous, acidic, and slightly carbonated fermented dairy product known from ancient times, which became very popular recently. [1, 2]
More than 50 microbial species are identified in different milk kefirs [10, 11]. e microbial composition of kefir grains can change due to several factors, such as the cultivation conditions and the geographical origin of kefir [4]. e origins of kefir grains varied, ranging from that in Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, China, Ireland, Malaysia, Russia, and Turkey [12]. erefore, the main factors that influence the development of kefir industry are the source of kefir grains and its cultivation method
Natural kefir grains were irregularly shaped hard granules, with firm texture and slimy appearance, yellowish-white color, which resemble miniature cauliflower blossoms. ey vary in size and are generally between 0.5 and 3.5 centimeters in diameter (Figure 1(a))
Summary
Acidic, and slightly carbonated fermented dairy product known from ancient times, which became very popular recently. [1, 2]. Acidic, and slightly carbonated fermented dairy product known from ancient times, which became very popular recently. Kefir fermentation starts with an addition of “kefir grains” to mammalian milk. More than 50 microbial species are identified in different milk kefirs [10, 11]. E microbial composition of kefir grains can change due to several factors, such as the cultivation conditions (e.g., temperature, grain to milk ratio, and milk source) and the geographical origin of kefir [4]. E origins of kefir grains varied, ranging from that in Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, China, Ireland, Malaysia, Russia, and Turkey [12]. Erefore, the main factors that influence the development of kefir industry are the source of kefir grains and its cultivation method More than 50 microbial species are identified in different milk kefirs [10, 11]. e microbial composition of kefir grains can change due to several factors, such as the cultivation conditions (e.g., temperature, grain to milk ratio, and milk source) and the geographical origin of kefir [4]. e origins of kefir grains varied, ranging from that in Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, China, Ireland, Malaysia, Russia, and Turkey [12]. erefore, the main factors that influence the development of kefir industry are the source of kefir grains and its cultivation method
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