Milk <i>kefir</i>: nutritional, microbiological and health benefits

Kefir is a homemade viscous and slightly effervescent beverage obtained by milk fermentation with kefir grains, which are built up by a complex community of lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria and yeasts confined in a matrix of proteins and polysaccharides. The present review summarizes the role of kefir micro-organisms in grain assembly and in the beneficial properties attributed to kefir. The use of both culture-dependent and independent methods has made possible to determine the micro-organisms that constitute this ecosystem. Kefir consumption has been associated with a wide range of functional and probiotic properties that could be attributed to the micro-organisms present in kefir and/or to the metabolites synthetized by them during milk fermentation. In this context, the role of micro-organisms in kefir health promoting properties is discussed with particular attention to the contribution of yeast as well as bioactive metabolites such as lactic and acetic acid, exopolysaccharides and bioactive peptides. Even though many advances on the knowledge of this ancient fermented milk have been made, further studies are necessary to elucidate the complex nature of the kefir ecosystem.

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“…Yeasts produce alcohol and carbon dioxide in the milk that contribute to mouthfeel and taste of kefir (Rosa et al . ).…”

Section: Kefir: An Ancient Fermented Milk Containing a Complex Microbmentioning

confidence: 97%

Kefir micro-organisms: their role in grain assembly and health properties of fermented milk

Iraporda²,

et al. 2018

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“…; Rosa et al . ). Resulting from the health concerns of consumers, numerous studies have focused on determining better and uniform methodologies for evaluation and measurement of the antioxidant potential of kefir (Liu et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Assessment of antioxidant capacity by method comparison and amino acid characterisation in buffalo milk kefir

Özcan

Şahin

Akpinar‐Bayizit

et al. 2018

Int J of Dairy Tech

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This study aimed to analyse the antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of buffalo milk kefir fermented with grains or a commercial starter culture, as well as characterisation of the amino acid profile. During fermentation, the ferrous‐reducing activity of samples increased, while the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging activity decreased. The highest value of the ABTS and DPPH scavenging activity was recorded for buffalo milk kefir with grain, which also showed a lower ferric‐reducing antioxidant power during storage. Statistical analyses showed a significant effect of starter culture type and fermentation/storage time on the antioxidant capacity of buffalo kefir.

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“…According to the hygiene hypothesis, antigenic desensitization is a condition present in modern life related to an increase in allergic and autoimmune diseases [31]. Probiotics have been used in the treatment of inflammatory, allergic, and autoimmune diseases [40]. These microorganisms have a positive influence on healthy microbiota biodiversity.…”

Section: The Immunological Tolerance and Intolerancementioning

confidence: 99%

Immunological Intolerance and Tolerance by Antigenic Co-Stimulation

Machado¹,

Albuquerque²,

Santana³

et al. 2017

OJI

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The plasticity and dynamism in the immune responses to both self and environmental stimulation promote the maintenance and adaptation of a system that tends to harmoniously survive and evolve. Fluctuating antigenic forces coexist within the immune system and oscillate between order and chaos to the equilibrium. Thus, when mounting a response to internal or environmental antigens, the main host responses can be divided into two immunological categories. The first, a well-adapted mechanism of complex multi-cellular organisms classically known as tolerance, promotes persistent immunological responses. In the second, opposite way, the modulation of inflammatory immune responses occurs, which we call "intolerance". Tolerance and intolerance can be mediated by humoral molecules, such as inflammatory compounds, complement, and antibodies, and by different cell types, such as sentinel cells, antigen-presenting cells, and cells that orchestrate the immune response. Tolerogenesis is important in vertebrates because it predisposes species to adapt to self and environmental negative-selective forces. This process depends, in large part, on antigenic co-stimulation (AgCS), which operates as a multi-integrated network formed by all immune and non-immune cells of the body that establishes tolerant immunoregulatory interactions from cells to cells and from cells to the environment. Antigenic distribution, quantity, nature, route of administration, and antigenic convergence on co-stimulatory pathways, and concurrent infections, and the presence of microorganisms (commensals and pathogens) in more than one site are important factors for activating AgCS. To conclude, the AgCS route is a natural immune response generated by heterogeneous APC profile with centralized regulation that promote the counterbalance between intolerant e tolerant status, which can

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Milk kefir: nutritional, microbiological and health benefits

Cited by 310 publications

References 112 publications

Kefir micro-organisms: their role in grain assembly and health properties of fermented milk

Kefir micro-organisms: their role in grain assembly and health properties of fermented milk

Assessment of antioxidant capacity by method comparison and amino acid characterisation in buffalo milk kefir

Immunological Intolerance and Tolerance by Antigenic Co-Stimulation

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