Short communication: Physicochemical features and microbial community of milk kefir using a potential probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae KU200284

The aim of this study was to analyze the β-glucan contents, physicochemical features, and microbial communities in milk kefir prepared using Saccharomyces cerevisiae KU200284 isolated from cucumber jangajji, a fermented vegetable commonly eaten in Korean. Three types of milk kefir were manufactured, with (1) activated kefir grain, (2) activated kefir grain with commercial S. cerevisiae BOF, and (3) activated kefir grain with S. cerevisiae KU200284. β-Glucan contents of milk kefir using kefir grain and kefir grain with S. cerevisiae strains BOF and KU200284 were 8.29, 8.59, and 8.57%, respectively. The pH, titratable acidity, viscosity, Brix level, and alcohol contents of milk kefir using kefir grain with S. cerevisiae strains were acceptable compared with milk kefir using only kefir grain. In milk kefir produced using kefir grains and S. cerevisiae strains, 16S rRNA reads showed representative strains of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens (>72% relative abundance) and Acetobacter fabarum (>16% relative abundance). In particular, milk kefir using kefir grain with S. cerevisiae KU200284 had the highest relative abundance of L. kefiranofaciens. In addition, the internal transcribed sequence (ITS) rRNA reads in tested milk kefir showed representative strains of Kluyveromyces marxianus (>52% relative abundance) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (>16% relative abundance). In contrast, milk kefir using S. cerevisiae strains had higher relative abundance of S. cerevisiae (>37%). The β-glucan production, physicochemical properties, and microbial community profiling indicate that S. cerevisiae KU200284 could be used in functional dairy products as a starter culture.