Dados do Trabalho

Título

Evaluating the addition of sugar in milk whey fermentation by kombucha SCOBY

Introdução

Kombucha is an age-old drink crafted from fermented sweetened black or green tea using a symbiotic association of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY). It has become a popular trend in the Western world due to functional properties related to its consumption.

Material e Métodos

Milk whey is a co-product from the dairy industry, which presents an intriguing option for creating innovative beverages, being a nutrient-rich by-product of dairy production. There is a gap in the current literature about fermenting milk whey by kombucha’s SCOBY and therefore the aim of the present work was to evaluate whey fermentation, augmented with 7% sucrose (WS) or lacking sugar addition (W), harnessing the SCOBY microbiota. The study examined pH, acidity, acetic acid, ethanol, and microbial composition in both whey-based beverages. Fermentation of whey occurred over 7 days at 25 ºC, resulting in volatile acidity levels ranging from 342 to 1612 g/l and 280 to 3358 g/l of acetic acid equivalent per liter for WS and W, respectively. The initial pH of 6.0 decreased to 4.5 and 3.7 in WS and W fermented beverages, respectively.

Resultados e Discussão

Under both fermentation conditions, a final ethanol content surpassing 0.5 % v/v was achieved, classifying the product as alcoholic. Predominant taxa identified in SCOBY fermentation included the bacterial genus Komagataeibacter and the fungal genus Zygosaccharomyces in both mediums, with a greater microbial abundance observed in WS.

Conclusão

These outcomes underscore the potential of this beverage as a functional product.