KEFİR GRANÜLÜ EGZOPOLİSAKKARİTİ: KEFİRANIN ÜRETİMİ, ÖZELLİKLERİ VE UYGULAMALARI

Öz

Kefir, dünya çapında yaygın olarak tüketilen ve sağlığa faydalı özellikleriyle bilinen süt kaynaklı fermente bir içecektir. Kefir taneleri de, kefir üretiminde kullanılan doğal mikrobiyal inokulumlardır ve fermentasyon sürecini yöneten simbiyotik olarak etkileşim halindeki bakteri ve mayalardan oluşan karmaşık bir yapıya sahiptir. Bu taneler ayrıca, olağanüstü reolojik, işlevsel ve terapötik özelliklere sahip çok yönlü bir ekzopolisakkarit olan kefiran içerir. Bu özellikleri sayesinde kefiran, yalnızca gıda endüstrisinde değil, aynı zamanda gıda ambalajlama, sağlık, ilaç ve doku mühendisliği uygulamalarında da giderek artan ilgi gören çok işlevli bir biyopolimer olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. Umut vadeden potansiyeline rağmen, kefiranın endüstriyel ölçekte üretimi, yüksek üretim maliyetleri ve fermentasyon sırasında pH düşüşünün engelleyici etkileri nedeniyle zorlu olmaya devam etmektedir. Bu derleme, geleneksel fermente süt ürünü kefir ve kefir tanelerinin karma mikrobiyal yapısı tarafından biyosentezlenen bir ekzopolisakkarit olan kefiranın üretimi, biyolojik aktiviteleri ve uygulama alanlarına dair güncel bir genel bakış sunmaktadır. Özellikle gıda ve sağlık uygulamaları için değerli ve umut vadeden bir biyopolimer olan kefiran üretimini optimize etmek ve işlevsel potansiyelinden tam olarak yararlanmak için daha ileri araştırmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Egzopolisakkarit
• fermentasyon
• kefir
• kefir granülü
• kefiran

KEFIR GRAIN EXOPOLYSACCHARIDE: PRODUCTION, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF KEFIRAN

Öz

Kefir is a fermented milk-based beverage that is widely consumed worldwide and is well recognized for its beneficial health properties. Kefir grains also serve as natural microbial inocula used in kefir production and possess a complex structure composed of symbiotically interacting bacteria and yeasts that govern the fermentation process. These grains also contain kefiran, a versatile exopolysaccharide with remarkable rheological, functional, and therapeutic properties. Owing to these characteristics, kefiran has emerged as a multifunctional biopolymer of growing interest not only in the food industry but also in food packaging, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and tissue engineering applications. Despite its promising potential, the industrial-scale production of kefiran remains challenging due to high production costs and the inhibitory effects of pH reduction during fermentation. This review provides a recent overview of the production, biological activities, and application areas of kefiran, an exopolysaccharide biosynthesized by the microbial consortium of kefir grains in the traditional fermented dairy product kefir. As a valuable and promising biopolymer, particularly for food and health related applications, further research is required to optimize kefiran production and fully exploit its functional potential.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Exopolysaccharide
• fermentation
• kefir
• kefir grains
• kefiran

Kaynakça

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