| ABSTRACT Water kefir is considered to be a functional food with probiotic characteristics. It can be improved with addition of organic brown sugar and fruits native to Brazil, such as jaboticaba. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of brown sugar type: organic and conventional and the presence or absence of jaboticaba pulp in water kefir fermentation, based on the carbohydrate, organic acid, mineral composition and color profile. The fermentation process was carried out in two stages: with kefir grains, for 24 hours, at 25 °C and after filtration, maintained for 24 h at 25 °C in hermetic bottles, followed by a period of 8h refrigeration, and monitored every 8 h. Scanning electron microscopy of the kefir grains was performed after 24 h.... |
