Evaluation of functional quality of water kefir with Haematococcus pluvialis biomass and colour pigment astaxanthin

• Published in: International journal of food science & technology Vol. 59; no. 6; pp. 4326 - 4335
• Main Authors: Yıldız, Sümeyye, Reisoglu, Şuheda, Aydin, Sevcan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Algae; Astaxanthin; Bacteria; Biomass; Color; Fermentation; fermented beverage; Haematococcus pluvialis; Kefir; kefir microbiota; Lactic acid; Lactic acid bacteria; microalgae; microbial community; Nanopore sequencing; Pigments; Sugar; Water quality
• ISSN: 0950-5423; 1365-2621
• DOI: 10.1111/ijfs.16975

Summary
This research was the first to investigate the effects of Haematococcus pluvialis microalgal biomass and colour pigment astaxanthin for the enhancement of the functional characteristics of water kefir. Kefir was evaluated for physicochemical, biochemical, and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) content after fermentation using biomass (0.25%; 0.50% with and without sugar) and astaxanthin (0.50%, no sugar) for 30 h. The addition of 0.25% biomass (W1) and astaxanthin (W4) to water kefir increased the C16:0 content almost three times and the protein content increased by 58% in W2 sample. Nanopore sequencing provided thorough insights into LAB content, revealing that in kefir containing 0.50% biomass replacing sugar (W3), Liquorilactobacillus nagelii proliferated from 8.05% to 46.57% and Lactobacillus hordei increased 15 times, while 0.25% biomass addition (W2) increased Lactococcus lactis abundance 13 times. H. pluvialis biomass was found to be an alternative prebiotic source, and it increased LAB content of water kefir.
The addition of H. pluvialis biomass and astaxanthin in water kefir was evaluated. Nanopore sequencing ensured exhaustive knowledge about the microbial diversity. Liquorilactobacillus nagelii increased to 46.6% with 0.50% biomass content. 0.50% biomass addition to water kefir increased palmitic acid content. Water kefir quality and microbial diversity were improved by fortification.