Exploitation of Yeasts with Probiotic Traits for Kefir Production: Effectiveness of the Microbial Consortium

oleh: Alice Agarbati, Maurizio Ciani, Laura Canonico, Edoardo Galli, Francesca Comitini

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-12-01

Deskripsi

Kefir is a fermented milk made by beneficial lactic acid bacteria and yeasts inoculated as grains or free cultures. In this work, five yeast strains with probiotic aptitudes belonging to <i>Candida zeylanoides</i>, <i>Yarrowia lipolytica</i>, <i>Kluyveromyces lactis</i>, and <i>Debaryomyces hansenii</i> species were assessed in a defined consortium, in co-culture with a commercial strain of <i>Lactobacillus casei</i>, in order to evaluate the yeasts’ fermentation performance during kefir production, using different milks. The concentration of each yeast was modulated to obtain a stable consortium that was not negatively affected by the bacteria. Furthermore, all yeasts remained viable for five weeks at 4 °C, reaching about 8.00 Log CFU in 150 mL of kefir, a volume corresponding to a pot of a commercial product. The yeasts consortium showed a suitable fermentation performance in all milks, conferring peculiar and distinctive analytical and aromatic properties to the kefirs, confirmed by a pleasant taste. Overall, the panel test revealed that the cow’s and sheep’s kefir were more appreciated than the others; this evaluation was supported by a distinctive fermentation by-products’ content that positively influences the final aroma, conferring to the kefir exalted taste and complexity. These results allow us to propose the yeasts consortium as a versatile and promising multistarter candidate able to affect industrial kefir with both recognizable organoleptic properties and probiotic aptitudes.