Lactic acid bacteria present in Central and South American fermented products were identified, characterized, and utilized in food development by Kati Väkeväinen, MSc, in her doctoral thesis work.
Plant-based, fermented products offer a vast variety of nutritious foods; these are especially consumed in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. Lately, the consumer demand for vegan fermented options has increased also in Western countries. The aim of Väkeväinen’s doctoral thesis was to identify and characterize the lactic acid bacteria present in fermented products originating from Central and South America and to utilize them in the development of new nutritious products. In the practical part of the thesis, the microbiological safety of atole agrio, a fermented Mexican maize beverage, was improved by utilizing the lactic acid bacteria naturally present in the product. This knowledge was further applied to developing new fermented, vegan products suitable for the Western market. Microbiological and molecular analyses, nutritional composition, and rapid sensory techniques were utilized to study the developed products.
The results emerging from Väkeväinen’s thesis revealed that the microbiological safety of traditional fermented products can be enhanced, and the manufacturing process facilitated with endogenous starter cultures without altering the sensory properties of the final product.
In conclusion, the doctoral thesis demonstrated the potential to develop vegan fermented products for wider consumer groups and the importance of endogenous starter cultures during the manufacturing process. Nonetheless, further studies are needed to increase the liking and consumer acceptance for fermented vegan products, and to modify the sensory properties of these products to suit better the preferences of Western consumers.
The doctoral thesis of Kati Väkeväinen, Master of Science, entitled The lactic microbiota of fermented products from Central and South America and its uses in food development – From microbiological safety to consumer acceptance will be examined at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland. The public examination will be held in Finnish at Kuopio Campus and online on 27th August 2020. The Opponent in the public examination will be Professor Seppo Salminen of the University of Turku, and the Custos will be Professor Emeritus Atte von Wright of the University of Eastern Finland.
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