Exploring the Potential of Rice, Tiger Nut and Carob for the Development of Fermented Beverages in Spain: A Comprehensive Review on the Production Methodologies Worldwide

Abstract

Rice, tiger nut and carob are Mediterranean products suitable for developing new foods, such as fermented beverages, due to their nutritional properties. These crops have a high carbohydrate content, are gluten and lactose-free and have a low allergenicity index. The development of fermented beverages from these crops can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by promoting human health and sustainable production and consumption. A narrative review of the nutritional value and potential functional activity of fermented beverages made from these crops was carried out. This literature review of existing studies on fermented and non-fermented beverages highlights their composition, production methodology, and health benefits. Fermented beverages made from these crops are high in fiber, essential fatty acids, vitamins (group B), and minerals. Fermentation increases the bioaccessibility of these nutrients while decreasing possible anti-nutritional factors. These fermented beverages offer several health benefits due to their antioxidant effects, modulating the intestinal microbiota and reducing the incidence of chronic degenerative diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Therefore, fermented rice, tiger nut and carob beverages can improve the Spanish diet by offering improved nutritional value and beneficial health effects. Additionally, these local crops promote sustainability, making them an appropriate choice for developing new fermented beverages.

Use of Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria and Carob Flour for the Production of a High-Fibre and “Clean Label” Plant-Based Yogurt-like Product

“…Its consumption was found to have numerous beneficial effects on human health, mainly due to its polyphenol and fiber content [ 2 , 3 ]. It was indeed suggested that the development of fermented beverages from this crop can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by promoting human health and sustainable production and consumption [ 8 ]. Moreover, the global plant-based beverage market has increased in the last decade, reaching a value of almost USD 20,000 million in 2023 [ 26 ], and several research papers have explored the possibility of using carob flour as an ingredient in new health-promoting beverages [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…In this regard, fermentation with lactic acid bacteria is known, among other things, to increase the bioaccessibility of nutrients [ 27 ]. Reports on the use of fermentation to increase the bioavailability of carob nutrients while decreasing possible anti-nutritional factors can already be found [ 8 ]. The high presence of simple carbohydrates also makes carob an optimal substrate for fermentation by microorganisms.…”

“…Consequentially, a wide range of novel beverages are constantly emerging. Few of them also include carob in the formulation (for a review see Vitali et al [ 8 ]). Despite efforts to render such novel products similar to conventional ones in terms of appearance, the nutritional aspects of such yogurt-like products vary widely depending on the ingredients used.…”

“…Hence, based on the above considerations, in this study, a lactose- and gluten-free yogurt-like product (YL), was designed and six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, isolated from several vegetable matrices, were used to ferment a rice–carob substrate. Rice flour was used to confer a creamy structure, thanks to the abundance of gelatinizable starch, and to soften the carob taste and flavor, which is commonly used in small amounts [ 8 ]. As for the LAB, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus SP1, a commercial probiotic strain, already employed for making quinoa [ 10 ] and oat flakes beverages [ 11 ], was chosen because of its already-demonstrated optimal technological properties and high survival under refrigerated storage conditions.…”