Chemical and microbiological characterization of Ecuadorian homemade water kefir

Abstract

Water kefir is a homemade fermented drink, to which certain probiotic properties are attributed. In this study, changes in acidity and oBrix of Ecuadorian homemade water kefir, elaborated with three different types of sweeteners (brown sugar, honey and granulated sugar) and at different fermentation times (24, 48 and 72 hours), were determined. The treatments arranged in a completely randomized block design (factorial 32) was applied. A focus group evaluated and selected three prototypes due to their sensory characteristics, also acidity and oBrix were measured for chemical specifications. According to the weighting of the variable of response for microbiological count, two treatments were chosen. The treatment with the greatest acceptance due to their chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics was the sample fermented with honey at 48 h. A phenotypic and genotypic characterization (16S DNAr) of microbiota showed the presence of Leuconostoc holzapfelii, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which could be attributed to water kefir probiotic properties.

Keywords

• kéfir de agua
• ADNr 16S
• fermentación
• probióticos