Rheological, textural, colour and sensorial properties of kefir produced with buffalo milk using kefir grains and starter culture: A comparison with cows' milk kefir

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the rheological, textural, colour and sensory properties of kefir samples produced with buffalos' or cows' milk using two different microbial fermentation sources, namely kefir grains and starter cultures. The buffalo milk kefir had a higher exopolysaccharide content than the cows' milk kefir, and the use of buffalo milk for kefir production had positive effects on the water-holding capacity and firmness value of the resulting kefir samples. The buffalo milk kefir samples had higher viscosity, a higher consistency index, storage and loss modulus values when compared to samples made with cows' milk. The sensory evaluation and colour properties of the kefir samples improved when buffalo milk was used.