Microbiological and Physicochemical Characteristics of a New Functional Beverage

Abstract

Fermented fruit and vegetable drinks are among the oldest products consumed worldwide, while in recent years much attention has been paid to identifying their functionality. This paper highlights the functional potential of a novel fermented beverage with kefir granules in terms of chemical and biological profiles impacting human health. Several experimental prototypes were comparatively analysed using spectrophotometric, physicochemical, and microbiological analyses. The acceptability of the consumption of the new fermented drink assortment based on nettle powder with kefir granules and added raspberry/mango was carried out on a sample of 109 people, consumers of fermented drinks. The results of the analyses show that the beverage shows high microbiological characteristics during the first days of storage, after which an increase in the microbiological load is identified.