Study of the microbial and chemical properties of goat milk kefir produced by inoculation with Taiwanese kefir grains

One of the prerequisites for the successful implementation of industrial-scale goat kefir production is to understand the effects of different kefir gains and culture conditions on the microbial and chemical properties of the goat kefir. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate the characteristics of kefir gains in Taiwan on the microbial and chemical properties of goat milk kefir, as well as to understand the influence of culture conditions on production of medium chain-length triglycerides (MCT). Kefir gains were collected from households in northern Taiwan. Heat-treated goat milk was inoculated with 3-5% (V/W) kefir grains incubated at 15, 17.5, 20 or 22.5 degrees C for 20 h, and the microflora count, ethanol content, and caproic (C6), caprylic (C8), and capric acid (C10) levels measured at 4 h intervals. Our results indicate that incubation with kefir gains results in 10(6)-10(7) CFU/ml microflora count and 1.18 g/L of ethanol content at 20 h of fermentation. Incubation with 5% kefir gain at 20-22.5 degrees C produces the highest MCT levels.