Kefir Related terms: Strains, Milk, Grains, Fermentation, Bacteria, Foods, Yeasts, Probiotics, Fermented Milk, Yogurt Kefir is the efficacious consequence of the metabolic activity of several lactic acid bacteria, mainly ascribed to the genus Lactobacillus, and of numerous yeast species belonging to the genera Kluyveromyces, Candida, Saccharomyces. From: Encyclopedia of Ecology (Second Edition), 2013 View all Topics. > 4 4 ® Kefir H. Kesenkag, ... H. Ozbas, in Fermented Foods in Health and Disease Prevention, 2017 14.7 Conclusions Kefiris a complex probiotic fermented milk beverage and has traditionally been regarded as a nutritious and healthy dairy food. Traditionally, kefiris produced by kefir grains, which have a complex microbiological composition in a matrix of polysaccharides and proteins. Kefir grains consist of a mixture of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and acetic-acid bacteria. The nutritional benefits of kefir are related to nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The health effects caused by kefir and kefir products may be attributed to several components such as lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, exopolysaccharides, organic acids, antioxidants, and bioactive peptides. The reported health benefits of kefir include anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic activity, immune modulation effects, enhanced lactose utilization, and hypocholesterolemic effects. Kefir also has important potential as an alternative treatment for osteoporosis. Although there are some evidence and promising results concerning the health effects of kefir and kefir products, further clinical studies are needed to clarify those therapeutic and nutraceutical activities in human. Nutrient Considerations in Lactose Intolerance Steve Hertzler, .. Fabrizis L. Suarez, in Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (Fourth Edition), 2017 D Kefir Kefirisa fermented dairy beverage that originated in Eastern Europe and has been made for centuries. Unlike yogurt, it is drinkable, and the kefir grains used to culture the milk contain a wider variety of starter culture microorganisms. Hertzler and Clancy [104] investigated the effect of kefir ingestion on lactose maldigestion and intolerance symptoms in a group of lactose maldigesters. The kefir used in the study contained S. lactis, L. plantarum, S. cremoris, L. case, S. diacetylactis, Saccharomyces florentinus, and Leuconostoc eremoris (as per label information) as the starter cultures. Feeding a 20 g lactose load as plain kefir reduced breath hydrogen excretion (8-hour area under the curve) by nearly threefold and decreased flatulence evmotams by 50% comnared with the same amount of lactose from milk. Theresponse to yogurt was similar to that observed with kefir. Nutrient Considerations in Lactose Intolerance Steve Hertzler, .. Fabrizis L. Suarez, in Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (Third Edition), 2013, D Kefir Kefirisa fermented dairy beverage that originated in Eastern Europe and has been made for centuries. Unlike yogurt, it is drinkable, and the kefir grains used to culture the milk contain a wider variety of starter culture microorganisms. Hertzler and Clancy [101] investigated the effect of kefir ingestion on lactose maldigestion and intolerance symptoms in 1 group of lactose maldigesters. The kefir used in the study contained Streptococcus lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus cremoris, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus diacetylactis, Saccharomyces florentinus, and Leuconostoc cremoris (as per label information) as the starter cultures. Feeding a 20 g lactose load as plain kefir reduced breath hydrogen ‘excretion (8-hour area under the curve) by nearly threefold and decreased flatulence symptoms by 509% compared with the same amount of lactose from milk. The response to yogurt was similar to that observed with kefir. Macro- and Micronutrients in Non-cow Milk and Products and Their Impact on Human Health F. Fantuz, .. P. Papademas, in Non-Bovine Milk and Milk Products, 2016 7.3.2 Kefir Kefiris a traditional liquid, slightly alcoholic fermented dairy product consumed in Eastern Europe (Hugenholtz, 2013). Sheep or goat milk is fermented by a mixture of lactic-acid bacteria, acetic-acid bacteria, yeasts, and molds. According to Wszolek etal. (2006), the presence of molds and acetic-acid bacteria in kefir is rather controversial as researchers do not agree on whether their presence is a result of a contamination or part of the natural microbiota. The lactic-acid bacteria groups primarily present in kefir are Lactococcus spp. (L. lactis subsp. lactis), Lactobacillus spp. (L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. helveticus,L. casei subsp. pseudoplantarum, L. brevis, and L. kefir), and Leuconostoc spp. Yeast species isolated from kefir grains include Kluyveromyces marxianus var. lactis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida inconspicua, and Candida rmaris. The reported therapeutic properties of Kefir were surnmarized by Wszolek et al. (2006), namely antibacterial activity; gastrointestinal tract disorders and treatment of severe intestinal infections, improvement of milk protein digestion, anti-tumor activity, immune-stimulation, and binding of mutagenic substances, such as indole and imidazole, are reported. In addition, the ACE inhibitory activity has been found in a commercial kefir made with caprine milk, due to the release of low molecular peptides (Tamime et al., 2011). Abd El-Salam and El-Shibiny (2013) also reported the isolation of ACE-inhibitory peptides, derived from a,y-and i-casein, from goat milk kefir. ACE inhibitory peptides usually contain 2-20 amino acid residues, although active peptides with up to 27 amino acids have also been described (Brandelli etal, 2015). Existing Technologies in Non-cow Milk Processing andTraditional Non-cow Milk Products M. Nufiez, in Non-Bovine Milk and Milk Products, 2016 2.2 Lactic-Alcoholic-Fermented Milk Technologies Kefir is fermented milk characterized by a complex microbiota consisting of lactic-acid bacteria, other bacterial genera, and yeast. Kefir microorganisms typically reside in grains, a polysaccharide matrix usually resembling small cauliflower florets, with symbiotic relationships among bacteria and yeast. Microbial species present in kefir are very diverse, including mesophilic and thermophilic lactic-acid bacteria, bacterial contaminants, such as acetic-acid bacteria, Bacillus, Micrococcus, and coliforms, and different species of yeast and molds. The proportions of microbial groups are variable, depending on the source of the grains. Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens was reported as the main bacterial species and Dekkera anomala as the predominant yeast species in kefir grains from different Italian regions (Garofalo et al., 2015) Milk pasteurized at high temperature, up to 95°C for 5 min, is inoculated with kefir grains or with commercial starter cultures and incubated at 22-25°C for 20-24 h. Kefir undergoes a mixed lactic-aleoholic fermentation that yields a foamy fermented milk of slight acidic taste and aromatic odor, with up to 1.0% lactic acid and 1.2% ethanol. Kefir made from goat, sheep, and cow milk by inoculation of grains or commercial starter cultures showed similar microbiological characteristics during storage, with lactobacilli, lactococci, and yeast as the dominant microorganisms, and higher concentration of ethanol in kefir made using commercial cultures. On day 15, concentrations of ethanol were 1.46%, 1.40%, and 2.10% for goat, sheep, and cow milk kefir, respectively (Oner et al, 2010). Goat milk kefir and cow milk kefir had different organic-acid composition, with higher lactic- and malic-acid concentrations in goat milk kefir, which showed a higher free radical scavenging capacity, while oxalic, acetic, citric, and succinic acids were at higher concentrations in cow milk kefir(Turker et al., 2014) Kefir manufactured from buffalo milk and cow milk, by adding kefir grains and by starter culture inoculation, differed in lactic-, acetic-, and citric-acid concentrations. Buffalo milk kefir had higher ethanol levels and higher counts of yeast and other microorganisms, except lactobacilli, after storage for 21 days at 4°C (Gul et al., 2015). Goat milk kefir and sheep milk kefir had different aromas and volatile compounds, which were also dependent on the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content. Diacetyl reached the highest levels in goat milk kefir with increased PUFA content, while ethanal synthesis was enhanced in sheep milk with high PUFA content. Lactic-acid concentration was higher in goat milk kefir than in sheep milk kefir, and did not vary with PUFA content. High PUFA content resulted in loss of whey aroma in goat milk kefir, while in sheep milk kefirit lowered animal aroma and increased creamy aroma (Cais-Sokolinska et al., 2015). Koumiss was originally manufactured from mare milk that underwent 2 mixed lactic-aleoholic fermentation. Today it is almost exclusively prepared from partly skimmed cow milk, generally with added sucrose. Pasteurized (90°C for $ min) milk is cooled to 26-28°C and inoculated with a high dose (10-30%) of fermentate from the previous batch. After fermentation for several hours, koumiss is cooled to 16-18°C, agitated to enhance aeration and yeast growth, bottled, and kept at that temperature to favor alcoholic fermentation and increase ethanol and CO, content. Depending on the type of starter culture and the length of the process, it may contain up to 1.2% lactic acid and 2.5% ethanol. In Mongolia, koumiss from mare milk is known as airag. ‘The main yeast species found in mare milk koumiss were Saccharomyces unisporus, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia membranaefaciens, and S. cerevisiae (Ni et al., 2007), while 12 different yeast species belonging to 9 genera were detected im a study on a higher number of koumiss samples (Mu et al., 2012). The main species of lactobacilli found in koumiss were Lactobacillus helveticus, L. fermentum, Lactobacillus casei, and L. plantarum (Wang et al., 2008). Koumiss is rich in angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibiting peptides. Four novel ACE-inhibiting peptides have been found in mare milk koumiss, one derived from B-casein and the rest corresponding to unknown protein sequences. Peptides found in koumiss were the pro-drug type or a mixture of the pro-drug type and the true inhibitory type (Chen et al, 2010).Rurucis @ pure wine, viseous, nawurany ferimenteu Uairy prOUUEL TdUE HOM YaK MHHIK IN 1IDEC anu SUMTE provineEs OF China. Its protein and fat content ranges from 5% to 6%. The fermentation of milk, carried out by lactic-acid bacteria and yeast, usually takes 3-6 days at ambient temperatures of 10-20°C, until lactic acid and alcohol reach the desired concentration. The lactose concentration decreases during the fermentation of kurut to 2-39% and the pH value to 3.7, while the ethanol concentration increases to 0.3-0.696, High counts of lactic-acid bacteria (+10? cfu/mL) and yeast (10 cfu/mL) are present in kurut (Zhang et al., 2008). Bacterial isolates from kurut belonged to Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus heletcus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus, and Acetobacter spp. (Liv et al, 2012). Dairy Products N. Niamsiri, C.A. Batt, in Encyclopedia of Microbiology (Third Edition), 2009 Kefir and Kumiss Kefir and kumiss are well-known fermented milk products in Russia and western Asia. They can be made from milk from ewe, goat, mare, or cow. During fermentation, lactic acid and alcohol are produced, resulting in a creamy, sparkling, acid milk drink. The differences between kefir and kumiss are due to the types of starter used as well as the resulting content of acid and alcohol in the final produc. The microflora used as starters for kefir is variable. Various species belonging to lactococci (L. lactis subsp. lactis, L. lactis subsp. cremoris, and L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylacts), leuconostocs (Leuc. lactis and Leuc. cremoris), and Lactobacilli (Lb. brevis, Lb kefir, sometimes also Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Lb. acidophilus) can be used to form lactic acid, whereas yeasts including Candida, Kluyveromyces, and Sacchoromyces species are used to produce alcohol from the added sugar (ie., sucrose). The content of lactic acid is 0.7-1%, and the content of alcohol is 0.05-0.5%, depending ‘on the incubation and storage conditions. Kumiss, on the other hand, contains a similar amount of lactic acid (0.71%), but is slightly higher in the alcohol content, ranging from 0.7 to 2.5%. The product is traditionally made from raw mare's milk. Then, 40% starter (typically Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Candida kefr for lactic and alcoholic fermentation, respectively) is added at @ temperature ‘of 26 to 28 °C, which leads to an increase in acidity to 50 mmol I"!, The milk is stirred to disperse protein particles, bottled, and then kept at a lower temperature (4 to 6 °C). The starter is propagated as a kind of continuous culture in mare milk. Nowadays, an imitation product of kumiss is being made from cow's milk. Because cow's milk has a higher ratio of casein to serum proteins and lower lactose content, the composition of cow’s milk is adjusted by adding a heat- treated retentate of whey ultrafiltration. Probiotics: Supplements, Food, Pharmaceutical Industry Swathi Putta, ... Gjumrakch Aliev, in Therapeutic, Probiotic, and Unconventional Foods, 2018 7 Available Probiotic Food 7.1 Yakult Yakult is the live (LeS) (Lactobacillus easei Shirota). Yakult contains skimmed milk powder, sugar, glucose, water, and more than 6.5 billion LeS. Uses:4. rrevent aigestive aisoraers suen as ararmea ana constipation. 2. Help build immunity and reduce risk of infections. 7.2 Kefir Kefiris a microbial symbiotic mixture of lactic acid bacteria (10 CFUjg), yeast (10%-107 CFU/g), and acetic acid bacteria (20° CFUYg) that stick to a polysaccharide matrix. The predominant species for kefir preparation are Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and L kefiranofaciens. Uses: 1. Antitumoral 2. Anti-inflammatory Antimicrobial Immunoregulatory Antiallergenic Wound healing Antidiabetic Antimutagenic Antigenotoxic 7.3 Yogurt Yogurt is a dairy product obtained through the fermentation of milk, partly skimmed milk or skim milk by the lactic bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus with which the lactic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacilluscasei or the bacteria Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium breve may be combined. Uses: 1. Prevent osteoporosis 2. Reduce the risk of high blood pressure Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and acute diarrhea in children Vaginal yeast and bacterial infections 5. Urinary tract infections 6. Lactose intolerance 7. Helicobacter pylori infections that cause stomach ulcers, 8. Preventing colorectal cancer 7.4 Kombucha Is a mixture of black tea and sugar fermentation. Technically, the fermentation becomes a mixture of yeast and bacteria (.e., Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium gluconicum, Acetobacter ketogenum, and Pichia fermentans). Uses: 1. Antidiabetic activity 2. Reduce atherosclerosis 3. Antihypertensive effect 4. Anti-inflammatory 5. Alleviate arthritis, rheumatism, and gout6. Hepatoprotective activity 7. Cure hemorrhoids 8. Increase body resistance 9. Enhance the immune system 10. Relieve bronchitis and asthma 11. Reduce menstrual disorders and menopausal hot flashes, 12. Improve hair, skin, and nail health 13, Reduce stress and nervous disturbances, and insomnia 14. Improve eyesight 7.5 Sauerkraut The cabbage is finely shredded, layered with salt, and left to ferment. Fully cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in an airtight container stored at 15°C (60°F) or below by a process of pickling called lactic acid fermentation with Lactobacillus species, including L. brevis and L. plantarum. Uses: 1. Increases the bioavailability of nutrients 2. Promote gut health 3. Boost circulation 4 Cardioprotective action Provide quick energy Stimulate the immune system Strengthen bones Antihyperlipidemic activity ‘Anti-inflammatory activity 10. Anticancer property LL. Improve vision and skin health Technological Advancement of Functional Fermented Dairy Beverages Subrota Hati,... Surajit Mandal, in Engineering Tools in the Beverage Industry, 2019 4.2.1.10 Kefir ‘Among the fermented dairy beverages, kefiris a fermented drink that originated within shepherds in the Caucasian ‘mountains is reported to be a huge success and gaining popularity worldwide, with the gross market net worth of ~€78.7 million in North America only (Lifeway, 2014). Actually a symbiotic combination of bacteria and yeast are mainly considered responsible for the fermentation bound within a polysaccharide matrix generally termed as kefir grains. Kefir isa completely different fermented milk beverage when compared to the other milk-based beverages. Lactobacilli, leuconostoc, acetic acid bacteria, S. thermophilus, and yeasts are used as the starter for the development of the drink, giving it a characteristic typical flavor. Most kefir products are sweetened with sugar and flavored with fruit juices. In theUnited States, kefir contains no yeast as well as no alcohol or gas (Ahmed et al, 2013). ‘The microbiota of kefir grains is stable in its activity for years ifonly maintained and preserved under appropriate conditions. The different groups of microbes present in the grains turns to be active at different phases of the fermentation. L. lactis subsp. lactis, including the biovar. diacetylactis, and L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains are loosely interlinked along with the grains and are mostly held responsible for acidification within first few hours of fermentation (Ebner et al,, 2015). Yeasts, acetic acid bacteria, and flavor producing microorganisms of Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc {genera grow much slowly that result in a minimum production of aroma compounds, alcohol, and carbon dioxide. Lactobacillus kefiri, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactobacillus kefirgranum, Lactobacillus parakefr, and others species such as Lactobacillus helveticus, L. delbruecki,L. casei, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Lactobacillus plantarum are widely isolated from these grains (Garrote et a., 2001). The broad diversity of LAB species in kefir grains from different geographical origin includes detection of strains of L. acidophilus, L. mesenteroides, and S. thermophilus. The increasing, popularity of kefir containing compounds has induced the use of kefir starters for cheese making. These have proved to be suitable for the production of brine-ripened cheeses with respect to quality and organoleptic characteristics (Goncu and Alpkent, 2005; Kourkoutas et al., 2006; Noori et al, 2014) What Bacteriocinogenic Lactic Acid Bacteria Do in the Milk? Svetoslav D. Todorov, in Raw Milk, 2019 8.4.2 Other Lactobacillus spp. Bacteriocin Producers A bacteriocin-producing Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans, isolated from Tibetan kefir, was the subject of the study of. Miao et al. (2014). This bacteriocin was characterized, purified, and molecular mass estimated to be 2113.842 Da Expressed bacteriocin exhibited a wide range of antimicrobial activity, including some fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus nigricans, and Penicilium glaucumn), but also Gram-negative bacteria (E.coli and Salmonella enterica) and Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and Bacillus thuringiensis) (Miao et al., 2014). Bacteriocins from LAB that have a wide antimicrobial spectrum against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi are still not frequently reported. Lactobacillus casei was isolated from fermented camel milk (Li et al, 2014), and produced bacteriocin was purified by performing ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, anion exchange chromatography, and reversed-phase HPLC separation. According to MS spectrum, the molecular mass of expressed bacteriocin was 6352 Da, which was significantly different from previously reported bacteriocins produced by Lb. casei strains (LU et al., 2014). Antibacterial activity of bacteriocin was characterized with inhibition of broad range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative foodborne pathogenic strains including some antibiotic-resistant pathogenic strains, L. monocytogenes, E.coli, and S. aureus. Some aspects of mode of action have been determined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses, where it was demonstrated that the bacteriocin is involved in pore formation in the cytoplasmic membrane (Li etal, 2014). Avaiyarasi etal. (2016) evaluated bacteriocinogenic potential of Lactobacillus sakei GMB isolated from goat milk. Lb. sakei GMB exhibited acid and bile tolerance (that maybe can be a positive characteristic for a potential probiotic application) and produced bacteriocin showed antagonistic activity against several foodborne pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella typhi, S. enterica, Klebsiella pneumonia, E. coi, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis. The molecular mass was determined to be 4.8 kDa after subjecting to salting out, size exclusion chromatography, reversed-phase HPLC on C18 column and MALDI-TOF-MS system. In addition, the cytotoxicity on HT29 cell line by bacteriocin GM3 showed maximum survival inhibition. Avaiyarasi etal. (2016) suggest that the Lb, sakei ‘GMB can be applied in food industry as a biopreservative. Lactobacillus curvatus was isolated from traditional artisanal cheese Brinza manufactured in Azerbaijan from cow's milk\anmaaova et al., 2043). Apart trom characterization of proaucea Dacteriocin, autnors nave rocus on satety or proaucer strain in order to evaluate application not only on expressed antimicrobial peptide, but as well of producer strain as a beneficial culture in cheese manufacture. In addition to inhibitory activity of the bacteriocin against E. faecium, L. innocua, L ivanovit, L. monocytogenes, and B. cereus authors explore inhibitory effect of the strain itself against some fungus. The coculture in dual slab agar of Lb. curvatus with several fungi displayed the same extent of inhibition of the growth of mold for Cladosporium spp. and Fusarium spp.; however, no antifungal activity was observed against Penicillium roqueforti (Ahmadova et al., 2013) FERMENTED MILKS | Other Relevant Products B. McKevith, C. Shortt, in Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003 Other Fermented Drinks The proposed Codex standard will characterize certain fermented milks, including Acidophilus milk, kefir, and kumys, by their specific microorganism(s). However there are a number of other products which are described elsewhere. Acidophilus milk is a product made using the probiotic bacteria L. acidophilus, a bacterium from the flora of the normal GIT. It and related products (such as Acidophilus yogurts) are popular in the USA. Cultured buttermilk was originally made using buttermilk (the byproduct of churning fermented cream into butter) but it has an unpredictable quality and short shelf-life since the whey often separates out and off-flavors develop. Modern equivalents are made from skim or low-fat milk and fermented with acid and flavor starters such as S. lactis and/or 5. cremoris together with S. paracitrovorous. Buttermilk is often used as an ingredient in the baking industry. Laban is a cultured milk drink, usually based on cows’ milk and consumed in many Gulf countries. Similar products exist in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. Homemade traditional laban contains a mixture of LAB, molds, and yeasts. Three strains of LAB are used in its commercial preparation. Lassi is @ yogurt drink from East India that may be sweetened and flavored with rosewater or fruit. Kefir originated in Russia and is now also popular in Poland, Germany, and Sweden. This traditional product is usually made using cows' or goats’ milk and kefir grains which contain a complex mixture of. microorganisms including bacteria (such as streptococci and lactobacilli), yeasts, and a polysaccharide of microbial origin. Koumiss (kumiss, kumys, kumyss) also originated in Russia but is based on mares’ milk. L. bulgaricus and lactose- fermenting yeasts are used in its production. Ropy milks, popular in Scandinavia, use starters that produce slime (mucus), giving a unique viscous quality to the final product.