Flávia Leticia Sanches’s research while affiliated with Federal University of Fronteira Sul and other places

The attention given to food has increased in recent decades due to consumers' interest in the possible therapeutic and nutritional properties of foods. Eating habits are associated with the composition of the individual's gastrointestinal microbiota, so changes in the intake of macronutrients and fiber can induce changes in bacterial diversity. A healthy microbiota pattern tends to be observed when an individual includes fermented foods. However, most fermented foods are dairy products. They cannot be consumed by specific population groups, such as people who are lactose intolerant, allergic to milk protein, or for lifestyle and diet reasons, such as vegans and vegetarians. From this fact, there is a need to offer consumers an alternative non-dairy fermented product, exploring new substances to supply dietary probiotics. In this context, water kefir, a symbiotic culture of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid, and yeast, stands out as a viable and affordable option, providing benefits similar to dairy versions without allergenic components that are undesirable for specific groups. Given the above, the objective of this work is to conduct a literature review on vegan fermented drinks, providing an overview of the fermentation process and matrices used, as well as presenting the factors that impact their adequate development, in addition to encouraging a discussion about the vegan fermented drinks market, including the issue of promoting research and development of new products from non-traditional sources, such as water-soluble vegetable extracts made from quinoa, cashew nuts, pistachios, among others.

Cashew nuts from the Anacardium occidentale L. tree stand out as a promising raw material for developing innovative food products due to their rich nutrients and versatile applications. This work aimed to study and characterize a product based on a vegetable extract of cashew nut (CNWSE) fermented with water kefir grains. A 2³ central composite design (DCC) was applied, with independent variables: sucrose (S), inulin (I), and xanthan gum (GX), and the dependent variables were grain cell growth (Δx), beverage yield (R), soluble solids (SS) and lactic acid (LA). Proximate analysis, organic compounds, and enzymatic activity characterized the optimized drink (fermented and non-fermented). Among the 11 formulations studied, F2 was said to be optimized based on the statistical results generated and by the researchers' choice after evaluating sensory attributes. High levels of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates determined in cashew nuts indicate that this raw material is an excellent energy source and protein of vegetable origin. In the enzymatic analysis of the optimized drink, the majority of enzyme activity was amylase, followed by cellulose, proteases, peroxidase, lipases, and laccases. The approach of this work contributes to the diversification of vegetable protein-based food options on the market while promoting principles of sustainability and inclusion. Keywords: Experimental Development; Fermented Beverages; Formulations; Vegans

This work aimed to study and characterize a product based on vegetable extract of quinoa (WVEQ) fermented with water kefir grains. The effect of sucrose concentration (SC), inulin concentration (IC), and xanthan gum (XG) concentration were evaluated using a central composite design (CCD) 2³. They were subsequently characterized regarding cellular growth of the grains, beverage yield, pH, soluble solids, carbon dioxide (CO2) production, lactic acid, and ethanol production. Therefore, for the final stage, two formulations (F1 and F8) of the CCD were chosen to be characterized in terms of proximate composition, microbiological composition of the kefir culture, analysis of organic compounds, sensory analysis, and enzymatic and microbiological characterization before and after simulation of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. In the two chosen products, one can see that fermentation optimized the bioavailability of proteins due to the high proteolytic activity of the microorganisms in kefir and the increase in lipid content. In identifying microorganisms, there was a prevalence of Saccharomyces sp. yeasts. In the sensory analysis, the F8 formulation showed better results than the F1 formulation. In vitro, gastrointestinal digestion showed reduced lactic acid bacteria and yeast and increased acetic acid bacteria in the liquid phase for both formulations. In the enzymatic profile, there was a reduction in all enzymes analyzed for both formulations, except for amylase in F1, which went from 14.05 U/mL to 39.41 U/mL. Therefore, it is concluded that using WVEQ as a substrate for the product appears to be a viable alternative with nutritional and technological advantages for serving a specific market niche.

The use of plant‐based raw materials is a promising non‐dairy alternative for the development of new vegan foods. This study aimed to develop a creamy vegan dessert (CVD) made with coconut milk and cocoa flavor. The CVDs were made with coconut milk powder, thickeners, sucrose, cocoa, modified starch, and potassium sorbate. A 22 factorial design was used, considering modified starch and cocoa as the independent variables, and the texture parameters as the dependent variables. The formulations were characterized for the texture profile after 7 days of refrigerated storage and compared with a commercial creamy dessert (CCD), and the results showed greater similarity for the formulation CVD4 (2% modified starch and 25% of cocoa) Thus, both the CVD4 and the commercial sample were characterized for the proximate composition. CVD was well accepted by consumers; however, it is necessary to study the use of other ingredients to reduce the residual bitterness.