Características de una bebida fermentada elaborada con kéfir.

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to investigate the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of a fermented drink made with kefir besides its fermentation kinetics and level of acceptance. The methodology used is purely bibliographic relying the existing literature on the subject. For the analysis of the results, three chemical physical components were considered: protein, fat and pH which present differences according to the type of milk used, their fat content and fermentation temperature. With regard to the microbiological characteristics, and according to what has been studied, all the components meet the standards due to the good manufacturing practices and the hygiene that were applied during the process, therefore, a product suitable for the human consumption was obtained. On the other hand, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) will grow exponentially according to the fermentation time. The longer the time, the greater the production of LAB in accordance with the pH and acidity. The acceptance level is above 50%, but this may vary, since its characteristics change as its incubation increases, therefore its acceptance level will decrease. It is concluded that the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of the fermented beverage depend in many cases on its raw material used, fermentation time and temperature.