Reference Number: 142
Year: 2014
Link: Link to original paper
Health: Autoimmune | Cancer | Gut Microbiome - Creating Healthier Bread to Support Optimal Gut Health
Nutrition: Amino Acids | Fibre | Polyphenols | Short chain fatty acids
Lactic Acid Bacteria: Prevalence
Yeast: Species
Summary
Summary
Fermentation is an ancient form of food preservation, which also improves the nutritional content of foods. In many regions of the world, fermented beverages have become known for their health-promoting attributes. In addition to harnessing traditional beverages for commercial use, there have recently been innovative efforts to develop non-dairy probiotic fer- mented beverages from a variety of substrates, including soy milk, whey, cereals and vegetable and fruit juices. On the basis of recent developments, it is anticipated that fermented bever- ages will continue to be a significant component within the functional food market.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY
The current study provides an overview of the health benefits of a variety of naturally fermented drinks including kvass. For many of the fermented beverages, it is the strong association between the microbial content and improvement of gastrointestinal health that is thought to be responsible for perceived health outcomes. While it is sometimes unclear what functional characteristics traditional beverages confer beyond the basic nutrition of the raw unfermented ingredients, there is evidence that some fermented beverages provide beneficial effects through direct microbial/ probiotic action and indirectly via the production of metabolites and breakdown of complex proteins. Kvass like any other fermented beverage is highly populated with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts which makes a great probiotic source. In addition, amongst the metabolites or by-products produced by these microbes, complex sugars such as oligosaccharides are also formed which serve as a source of insoluble fibre and therefore behave as a prebiotic.
