Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures

Organic dairy products, including fermented milk, are gaining popularity among consumers. Traditionally, for kefir production, kefir grains are used; however, in the modern industry, freeze-dried cultures are commonly employed. This study aimed to analyze the quality of kefirs produced from organic...

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Main Authors: Katarzyna Szkolnicka, Izabela Dmytrów, Anna Mituniewicz-Małek, Elżbieta Bogusławska-Wąs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11746
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author Katarzyna Szkolnicka
Izabela Dmytrów
Anna Mituniewicz-Małek
Elżbieta Bogusławska-Wąs
author_facet Katarzyna Szkolnicka
Izabela Dmytrów
Anna Mituniewicz-Małek
Elżbieta Bogusławska-Wąs
author_sort Katarzyna Szkolnicka
collection DOAJ
description Organic dairy products, including fermented milk, are gaining popularity among consumers. Traditionally, for kefir production, kefir grains are used; however, in the modern industry, freeze-dried cultures are commonly employed. This study aimed to analyze the quality of kefirs produced from organic cow milk with two fermentation times (12 and 24 h) with the use of kefir grains or freeze-dried culture. During a 3-week storage period, physicochemical properties, color, syneresis index, texture, sensory, and microbiological quality were evaluated. The results proved that organic cow milk was suitable for kefir production both with the use of kefir grains and freeze-dried culture. Using freeze-dried culture and a 24 h fermentation period resulted in kefir with the lowest syneresis tendency (3.65–9.62%), along with the best textural properties (the highest cohesiveness and viscosity index), and desired sensory characteristics. Kefir grains had a better acidification ability, and the resulting products had a higher count of yeasts, lactobacilli, and lactococci compared with kefirs obtained with freeze-dried culture. However, both the type of starter culture and the fermentation time influenced the product’s quality. The longer fermentation time of 24 h was more appropriate for the kefir production. Kefir grains, as a traditional form of kefir culture, may be preferred in organic kefir production.
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spelling doaj-art-43e7f59c1f07461fa921f26b787f40162024-12-27T14:08:14ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-12-0114241174610.3390/app142411746Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter CulturesKatarzyna Szkolnicka0Izabela Dmytrów1Anna Mituniewicz-Małek2Elżbieta Bogusławska-Wąs3Department of Toxicology, Dairy Technology and Food Storage, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Papieża Pawła VI St. No. 3, 71-459 Szczecin, PolandDepartment of Toxicology, Dairy Technology and Food Storage, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Papieża Pawła VI St. No. 3, 71-459 Szczecin, PolandDepartment of Toxicology, Dairy Technology and Food Storage, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Papieża Pawła VI St. No. 3, 71-459 Szczecin, PolandDepartment of Applied Microbiology and Physiology of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Papieża Pawła VI St. No. 3, 71-459 Szczecin, PolandOrganic dairy products, including fermented milk, are gaining popularity among consumers. Traditionally, for kefir production, kefir grains are used; however, in the modern industry, freeze-dried cultures are commonly employed. This study aimed to analyze the quality of kefirs produced from organic cow milk with two fermentation times (12 and 24 h) with the use of kefir grains or freeze-dried culture. During a 3-week storage period, physicochemical properties, color, syneresis index, texture, sensory, and microbiological quality were evaluated. The results proved that organic cow milk was suitable for kefir production both with the use of kefir grains and freeze-dried culture. Using freeze-dried culture and a 24 h fermentation period resulted in kefir with the lowest syneresis tendency (3.65–9.62%), along with the best textural properties (the highest cohesiveness and viscosity index), and desired sensory characteristics. Kefir grains had a better acidification ability, and the resulting products had a higher count of yeasts, lactobacilli, and lactococci compared with kefirs obtained with freeze-dried culture. However, both the type of starter culture and the fermentation time influenced the product’s quality. The longer fermentation time of 24 h was more appropriate for the kefir production. Kefir grains, as a traditional form of kefir culture, may be preferred in organic kefir production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11746kefirkefir grainsfreeze-dried kefir cultureorganic milk
spellingShingle Katarzyna Szkolnicka
Izabela Dmytrów
Anna Mituniewicz-Małek
Elżbieta Bogusławska-Wąs
Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures
Applied Sciences
kefir
kefir grains
freeze-dried kefir culture
organic milk
title Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures
title_full Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures
title_fullStr Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures
title_full_unstemmed Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures
title_short Quality Assessment of Organic Kefirs Made with Kefir Grains and Freeze-Dried Starter Cultures
title_sort quality assessment of organic kefirs made with kefir grains and freeze dried starter cultures
topic kefir
kefir grains
freeze-dried kefir culture
organic milk
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11746
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