The Effect of Incubation Period on the Shelf Life of Kefir Beverage Prepared with Kefir Culture

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different incubation times on the shelf life of kefir. For this purpose, kefir samples were first incubated for 8, 12, 18, 24 and 36 hours, creating 5 different kefir groups. It was then stored at 4±1°C for 21 days.. Microbiological (Lactobacillus spp., Lactococcus spp., and yeast), chemical (pH, titratable acidity), and sensory analyses of the kefir groups were performed during the storage period. The Lactobacillus (7.80 log10 cfu/mL), Lactococcus (7.30 log10 cfu/mL) and yeast (6.14 log10 cfu/mL) counts were higher in the kefir groups that were incubated for a long time, and changes were observed during the storage process depending on the incubation time. It was determined that the titratable acidity became higher as the length of the incubation and storage time increased. The results showed that the incubation time had an effect on Lactobacillus spp. and Lactococcus spp. counts, pH and acidity (P