Astaksantin ile zenginleştirilmiş kefirlerin mikrobiyal çeşitliliklerinin araştırılması

Today, consumers who are conscious of choosing healthy functional beverages and foods are interested in alternative products and the interest in kefir is increasing. Kefir is preferred by many consumers due to its high nutritional value, probiotic microorganisms, anti-carcinogenic, immune and digestive system regulatory, cholesterol-lowering properties. However, consumers who prefer a vegetarian/vegan diet or have an allergy/intolerance to animal milk faced with obstacles in consuming kefir produced with traditional animal-based milk. Bioactive compounds of natural origin as food additives are gaining increasing popularity gradually. The high biological activity, bioavailability ratio and their beneficial effects on health are some of the preferred features of these compounds. Moreover, their low production and processing costs make them more attractive. Microorganisms have been used for years in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and energy industries. Among them, the use of microalgae as food additives has been a rising topic in the alternative food industry in recent years. In the light of this information, this thesis aims to produce functional water kefir and vegan (soy milk) kefir enriched with astaxanthin pigment obtained from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae for consumers who prefer vegetarian/vegan diet or have milk allergy/lactose intolerance. Furthermore, it was aimed to meet the protein, sugar, mineral and vitamin deficiencies caused by animal milk deficiency. Lastly, water kefir and soya milk enriched with astaxanthin pigment were analyzed regarding microbival diversity, protein, sugar and fatty acid compounds. This study was funded by Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University. Project number: FYL-2022-38795.