Innovative Fermented Beverages Made with Red Rice, Barley, and Buckwheat

Nutritional and functional aspects of European cereal-based fermented foods and beverages

European cereal-based fermented foods (ECBFFs) and alcoholic beverages have been fundamental components of regional diets for centuries, providing unique flavor profiles, essential nutrients, and a diverse array of health benefits. These foods, which encompass breads, beverages, and porridges, derive their functional and culinary properties from the activity of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. This review examines the nutritional and functional characteristics of ECBFFs, with a focus on their microbial composition and fermentation processes. It highlights various ECBFFs and alcoholic beverages, including conventional and sourdough breads, tarhana, boza, kvass, and beers examining their health-promoting properties and potential for commercial expansion. Key findings from the literature show that certain ECBFFs are abundant in prebiotics and probiotics, primarily due to the fermentation processes involving lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. These microorganisms generate bioactive compounds such as organic acids, bacteriocins, and phenolic compounds, which exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. ECBFFs can also enhance digestibility, improve mineral bioavailability, and support gut health, thereby promoting overall well-being. From a commercial perspective, products like Yosa and Proviva demonstrate the feasibility of developing innovative ECBFFs that align with contemporary dietary preferences. The future of ECBFFs is promising, offering extensive opportunities for research, innovation, and large-scale commercialization to meet the increasing consumer demand for functional, plant-based foods.

Revisiting fermented buckwheat: a comprehensive examination of strains, bioactivities, and applications

Buckwheat, a nutrient-rich pseudocereal, is known for its various biological properties, but its antinutritional factors, such as phytic acid and tannins, can hinder nutrient absorption. Fermentation improves buckwheat's nutritional profile by enhancing bioactive compounds, increasing digestibility, and reducing antinutritional factors. This review comprehensively examines the effects of fermentation and microbial strains on the nutritional composition and functional properties of buckwheat, highlighting their impact on health benefits and potential applications in diverse food products. Fermentation significantly boosts essential nutrients, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, while reducing antinutritional factors like phytic acid and protease inhibitors. It also enhances antioxidant, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and gut microbiota-regulating properties. However, there are notable gaps in research, including limited understanding of fermentation process control, heavy metal transformation, and pathogenic microorganism effects during fermentation. Addressing these gaps is crucial for optimizing the functional properties and ensuring the safety of fermented buckwheat in the food industry. Overall, fermented buckwheat holds significant potential as a functional ingredient for gluten-free foods, nondairy beverages, and other health-promoting products that cater to specific dietary needs.

A Novel Non-Alcoholic Einkorn-Based Beverage Produced by Lactic Acid Fermentation: Microbiological, Chemical, and Sensory Assessment

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) is gaining renewed interest for its high nutritional value and digestibility. Lactic acid fermentation could enhance these properties by improving micronutrient bioavailability, sensory properties, and shelf life. This study aimed to develop a novel non-alcoholic einkorn-based beverage through lactic acid fermentation. A multiple-strain starter was selected based on acidifying properties and inoculated into an einkorn-based substrate to produce a yogurt-like beverage. Prototypes were evaluated through physico-chemical, chemical, and microbiological analyses and compared to uninoculated controls. A sensory analysis was also performed to assess flavor attributes before and after lactic acid fermentation. The inoculated starter culture reached a load of approximately 9 Log CFU g⁻¹ and remained viable throughout storage, leading to an increase in lactic acid concentration and high titratable acidity, corresponding to low pH values. Total polyphenol content increased during fermentation and remained stable during storage, whereas antioxidant activity did not show significant differences over time. An increase in monosaccharides, acids, and ketones was observed during fermentation and storage. The prototypes exhibited a distinctive proximate composition, along with yogurt and fruity aroma notes. These results suggest the feasibility of producing a safe and stable non-alcoholic einkorn-based fermented beverage with appealing sensory characteristics.

Nutritional and functional perspectives of pseudocereals

An increase in the consumption of carbohydrate-rich cereals over past few decades has led to increased metabolic disorders in population. This nutritional imbalance in diets may be corrected by substituting cereal grains with pseudocereals that are richer in high-quality proteins, dietary fibers, unsaturated fats, and bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols and phytosterols) as compared to cereal grains. These nutrients have been associated with numerous health benefits, such as hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer, and hepatoprotective properties, and benefits against obesity and diabetes. In this review, the nutritional composition and health benefits of quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat are compared against wheat, maize, and rice. Subsequently, the processing treatments applied to quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat and their applications into food products are discussed. This is relevant since there is substantial market potential for both pseudocereals and functional foods formulated with pseudocereals. Despite clear benefits, the current progress is slowed down by the fact that the cultivation of these pseudocereals is limited to its native regions. Therefore, to meet the global needs, it is imperative to support worldwide cultivation of these nutrient-rich pseudocereals.

Production and characterization of nondairy gluten-free fermented beverage based on buckwheat and lentil

The present study aimed to optimize the formulation of buckwheat/lentil gluten-free beverages fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Physicochemical parameters of 14 different beverages, such as pH, acidity, total solids, ash, total phenol content, antioxidant activity, and sensory test, were assessed after 24 h of fermentation. The results showed that the numbers of viable cells of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria on the first day of the experiment were 9.9 and 9.6 log (CFU ml-1), respectively, which were over 9 log (CFU ml-1). During 24 h from the fermentation, the number of viable cells for all beverages decreased, which reached an average probiotic count of 8.81 log (CFU ml-1) that was statistically significantly different from the probiotic count before fermentation (p < .05). Cell viability was evaluated and shelf life was estimated during 15-day refrigerated storage. At the end of the storage (15th day), the beverages contained an average of 8.4 log (CFU ml-1) of live lactobacilli cells and 7.8 log (CFU ml-1) of viable bifidobacterial cells. The optimized levels of independent factors for sprouted buckwheat and lentil flours were 51.96% and 48.04%, respectively. The optimized probiotic beverage was contained 0.25 (% lactic acid) acidity, 5.7 pH, 7.9% total solids, 0.4% ash, 41.02% DPPH, 26.96 (mg GAE/ml) phenol compounds, and 8.65 log (CFU ml-1) probiotic count. The optimized beverage had distinct organoleptic properties on day 15 of refrigerated storage. This study showed that Bifidobacterium bifidum can be used for the development of potentially probiotic beverage with sprouted buckwheat and lentil.

Innovative Processing Technologies for Developing Functional Ingredients and Food Products with Health Benefits from Grains

Grains are dry seeds belonging to diverse crops, including cereals, pseudocereals and pulses [...].

Potential Antitumor Effect of Functional Yogurts Formulated with Prebiotics from Cereals and a Consortium of Probiotic Bacteria

Various types of functional yogurts were obtained from normalized milk (with normalized lipid content) and a standardized probiotic consortium of probiotic bacteria named ABY3. All the types of yogurts obtained contained prebiotics from black or red rice; malt of barley, rye, wheat; or wheat bran. The physico-chemical analyses of all the functionalized products obtained showed that all of them met the quality standard for yogurt products. However, the sensorial analyses showed that the products obtained from black and red rice were of very good quality. The biological analyses indicated that all the types of products contained live probiotic bacteria, but wheat bran and red rice could increase their numbers. Tests performed on tumor cell line Caco-2 with corresponding postbiotics revealed cytotoxicity greater than 30% after 48 h of exposure in the case of yogurts obtained from milk with 0.8% lipid content and red rice or blond malt of barley. In the case of yogurts derived from milk with 2.5% lipid content, only the variants that contained blond malt of rye or wheat became cytotoxic against the Caco-2 cell line.

Legumes and Legume-Based Beverages Fermented with Lactic Acid Bacteria as a Potential Carrier of Probiotics and Prebiotics

Fermentation is widely used in the processing of dairy, meat, and plant products. Due to the growing popularity of plant diets and the health benefits of consuming fermented products, there has been growing interest in the fermentation of plant products and the selection of microorganisms suitable for this process. The review provides a brief overview of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their use in fermentation of legumes and legume-based beverages. Its scope also extends to prebiotic ingredients present in legumes and legume-based beverages that can support the growth of LAB. Legumes are a suitable matrix for the production of plant-based beverages, which are the most popular products among dairy alternatives. Legumes and legume-based beverages have been successfully fermented with LAB. Legumes are a natural source of ingredients with prebiotic properties, including oligosaccharides, resistant starch, polyphenols, and isoflavones. These compounds provide a broad range of important physiological benefits, including anti-inflammatory and immune regulation, as well as anti-cancer properties and metabolic regulation. The properties of legumes make it possible to use them to create synbiotic food, which is a source of probiotics and prebiotics.

Lactic Acid Bacteria-Fermentable Cereal- and Pseudocereal-Based Beverages

Plant beverages are becoming more popular, and fermented cereal- or pseudocereal-based beverages are increasingly used as alternatives for fermented products made from cow milk. This review aimed to describe the basic components of cereal- or pseudocereal-based beverages and determine the feasibility of fermenting them with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to obtain products with live and active LAB cells and increased dietary value. The technology used for obtaining cereal- or pseudocereal-based milk substitutes primarily involves the extraction of selected plant material, and the obtained beverages differ in their chemical composition and nutritional value (content of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, glycemic index, etc.) due to the chemical diversity of the cereal and pseudocereal raw materials and the operations used for their production. Beverages made from cereals or pseudocereals are an excellent matrix for the growth of LAB, and the lactic acid fermentation not only produces desirable changes in the flavor of fermented beverages and the biological availability of nutrients but also contributes to the formation of functional compounds (e.g., B vitamins).

Recent developments and knowledge in pseudocereals including technological aspects

Amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, and less known, canihua are the most important pseudocereals. Their high nutritional value is well recognized and they are increasingly used for the development of a wide range of starch-based foods, which has been fostered by intensified research data performed in recent years. In addition to health driven motivations, also environmental aspects like the ongoing climate change are an important stimulus to increase agricultural biodiversity again. As pseudocereals are botanically classified as dicotyledonous plants their chemical, physical and processing properties differ significantly from the monocotyledonous cereals. Most important factors that need to be addressed for processing is their smaller seed kernel size, their specific starch structure and granule architecture, their gluten-free protein, but also their dietary fibre and secondary plant metabolites composition. This review gives a condensed overview of the recent developments and gained knowledge with special attention to the technological and food processing aspects of these pseudocereals.