Kefir is a refreshing fermented milk with a slightly acidic taste obtained by
incubating milk with kefir grains (Saloff-Coste, 1996). Kefir grains are a complex
mixture of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in a strong and specific association. They
are characterized by an irregular form, a folded and uneven surface and a white or
slightly yellow colour. They are tough and resilient and have a characteristic acid
taste (Bottazzi et al. 1994). The basic microflora contains lactococci, homofermentative
and heterofermentative lactobacilli, yeasts and acetic acid bacteria (Bottazzi et
al. 1994; Rea et al. 1996). Among the yeasts isolated from grains and identified
are Candida kefir, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sac.
delbrueckii, Cand. holmii, Sac. unisporus and Sac. lipolytica
(Angulo et al. 1993; Marshall, 1993; Garrote et al. 1997).
Lactobacillus brevis, Lb. viridescens, Lb. casei,
Lb. kefir, Lb. kefiranofaciens, Lb.
kefirgranum, Lb. parakefir, Leuconostoc spp. and
Lactococcus lactis are among the
lactic acid bacteria present in the grains (Marshall et al.
1984; Toba et al. 1991; Takizawa et al. 1994;
Garrote et al. 1997). The mixed microflora of yeasts and
bacteria is held together by a matrix containing (g/kg dry weight) protein 340,
polysaccharide 470 (Ottogalli et al. 1973).The study of kefir grains in milk has been centred on the characteristics of the
polysaccharide produced by lactobacilli within the grain (Yokoi et al. 1991). This
polysaccharide, named kefiran, is composed of glucose and galactose (Yokoi et al.
1991). It has been suggested that proteins are incorporated from the growth media
(Bassette & Acosta 1988), but no details about structure and composition are
available.Soyabeans are an important component of the diet in many countries and have
been used to obtain fermented products such as sogurt (Mann, 1991). Special
attention has been given to the growth of, and sugar utilization by, Bifidobacterium
spp., Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus
thermophilus in soya milk (Buono et al. 1990;
Murti et al. 1993; Ankenman Granata & Morr, 1996). To our
knowledge, there have been no attempts to ferment soya milk with kefir grains.The aim of this study was to investigate the growth of kefir grains in soya milk
and the composition of these grains, focusing on the matrix proteins.
