Potential of kefir as a dietetic
beverage – a review
S. Sarkar
Metro Dairy Limited, West Bengal, India
Abstract
Purpose – Kefir, the self-carbonated beverage, possesses nutritional attributes due to its content of
vitamins, protein and minerals and therapeutic attributes contributed by its antibacterial spectrum,
gastro-intestinal proliferation, hypocholesterolemic effect, anti carcinogenic effect, L(þ) lactic acid
content,
b
-galactosidase activity and bacterial colonization. Inclusion of kefir in the diet as a dietetic
beverage may confer nutritional and therapeutic advantages to the consumers.
Design/methodology/approach – By reviewing the literature the chemical, microbiological,
nutritional and therapeutic characteristics of kefir have been highlighted to justify its consumption as
a dietary beverage.
Findings – Kefir grains, kefir starter and kefir beverage vary considerably in microflora of bacterial
and yeasts. The nutritional attributes of kefir are due to its chemical ingredients such as vitamins,
protein and minerals and fermentation induces further enhancement in its nutritional profiles. Kefir
exhibits varied therapeutic attributes due to possession of different therapeutic components. Kefir can
be recommended for consumption by normal and sick adults as well as infants as a dietetic beverage.
Originality/value – Due to various nutritional and therapeutic attributes of kefir, it may occupy an
important place in the diet of those consumers inclined towards dietetic foods.
Keywords Food products, Milk, Diet, Drinks, Nutrition
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been employed to ferment food for at least 4,000 years,
resulting in various cultured milk products with improved preservation accompanied
by characteristic flavours and textures that are different from the original food
(Saloff-Coste, 1994). Non-fermenting yeasts and acetic acid bacteria grow in milk only
in association with LAB causing conversion of lactose to lactic acid, peptonization,
vitamin synthesis and partial lactic acid utilization which stimulate LAB (Koroleva,
1988).
Kefir is a self-carbonated refreshing fermented milk with slight acidic taste, made
from kefir grains, a complex and specific mixture of bacteria and yeast held together
by a polysaccharide matrix. Kefir means “feel good” in Turkish and falls under the
category of a mixed lactic acid and ethanol fermented beverage (Kurmann, 1984). Kefir
is also known as Kefyr, Kephir, Kefer, Kiaphur, Knapon, Kepi and Kippi.
Kefir occupies an important place in the human diet in many parts of the world
including Southwest Asia, Eastern and Northern Europe, North America, Japan (Otles
and Cagindi, 2003), the Middle East, North Africa and Russia (Koroleva, 1982; IDF,
1988) due to its nutritional and therapeutic significance. Kefir has also been
recommended for infants over the age of 6 months as mixed or artificial diet (Ivanova
et al., 1980) and bifidokefir, containing physiologically active cells of Bifidobacterium
bifidum proved to be more efficacious than ordinary kefir in eliminating intestinal
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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BFJ
109,4
280
British Food Journal
Vol. 109 No. 4, 2007
pp. 280-290
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0007-070X
DOI 10.1108/00070700710736534