Kefir micro‐organisms: their role in grain assembly and health properties of fermented milk

Kefir micro‐organisms: their role in grain assembly and health properties of fermented milk

Kefir is a homemade viscous and slightly effervescent beverage obtained by milk fermentation with kefir grains, which are built up by a complex community of lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria and yeasts confined in a matrix of proteins and polysaccharides. The present review summarizes the role of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied microbiology Vol. 126; no. 3; pp. 686 - 700
Main Authors: Bengoa, A.A., Iraporda, C., Garrote, G.L., Abraham, A.G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Oxford University Press 01-03-2019
Subjects:
Acetic acid
Acetic acid bacteria
Animals
Assembly
Bioactive compounds
Biological activity
Bioreactors
Ecosystems
Exopolysaccharides
Fermentation
fermented milk
Fermented milk products
health benefits
Humans
Kefir
Kefir - analysis
Kefir - microbiology
kefir grain assembly
Lactic acid
Lactobacillales - metabolism
Metabolites
micro‐organisms
Milk
Milk - microbiology
Organisms
Peptides
Polysaccharides
Probiotics
Properties (attributes)
Proteins
Saccharides
Yeast
Yeasts
Yeasts - metabolism
health benefits
kefir
fermented milk
kefir grain assembly
micro-organisms
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Summary:Kefir is a homemade viscous and slightly effervescent beverage obtained by milk fermentation with kefir grains, which are built up by a complex community of lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria and yeasts confined in a matrix of proteins and polysaccharides. The present review summarizes the role of kefir micro‐organisms in grain assembly and in the beneficial properties attributed to kefir. The use of both culture‐dependent and independent methods has made possible to determine the micro‐organisms that constitute this ecosystem. Kefir consumption has been associated with a wide range of functional and probiotic properties that could be attributed to the micro‐organisms present in kefir and/or to the metabolites synthetized by them during milk fermentation. In this context, the role of micro‐organisms in kefir health promoting properties is discussed with particular attention to the contribution of yeast as well as bioactive metabolites such as lactic and acetic acid, exopolysaccharides and bioactive peptides. Even though many advances on the knowledge of this ancient fermented milk have been made, further studies are necessary to elucidate the complex nature of the kefir ecosystem.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
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ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:1364-5072
1365-2672
DOI:10.1111/jam.14107