Effect of kefir biomass on nutritional, microbiological, and sensory properties of mango-based popsicles

Abstract

The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the effect of kefir biomass (grains) on the nutritional, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of mango-based popsicles. Mango pulp (1,000 mL), 5% of brown sugar, and 20% of kefir grains (triplicate) were mixed and fermented for 24 h at 28°C to create fermented kefir mango-based popsicle (FKMP); while only 1,000 mL of mango pulp was used for control popsicle (CP). Thereafter, the nutritional, microbial, and sensory analyses were performed in mango pulp, CP, and FKMP popsicles. Smith’s salience index (SSI) results showed that the flavour attribute was highlighted in kefir mango-based popsicles, with mean scores ranging (p < 0.05) from 7.7 to 8.4 on a 9-point hedonic scale, indicating the participants’ liking for the popsicles from moderate to extreme. Supplementation with kefir grains has increased the nutritional characteristics, mainly the protein content (0.38 g/100 g (CP) to 7.27 g/100 g (FKMP)). The PCR-DGGE analyses showed that bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, and Acetobacter, and yeasts such as Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Lachancea, and Kazachstania were the microorganisms present. The present work is the first to report about kefir mango-based popsicle production, which allows for the consumption (by ingestion) of kefir biomass (grains) after the fermentation process. These results open new perspectives for the innovative application of kefir biomass in developing popsicles containing high protein content and kefir probiotic microorganisms.