Changes in microflora of tea fungus during storage of fermented dairy beverages | Promena mikroflore čajne gljive tokom skladištenja fermentisanih mlečnih napitaka

The tea fungus is being increasingly used in the production of innovative food products, both in Serbia and in other countries. This trend can be primarily ascribed to potential therapeutic characteristics of the fungus. The mechanism of this effect is still being researched, but it is quite certain that the tea fungus contains a symbiosis of acetic acid bacteria and yeasts, which can vary to a great degree depending on the origin and geographic region. The consummation of kombucha tea has a very long tradition; however, the use of the tea fungus in the production of fermented milk beverages is a new technology which can most certainly find its perspective in the dairy industry. Bearing in mind that the technology has been determined to a great extent, the question remains as to the sustainability of the product and its quality during the storage period. In this sense, this paper looks into the changes in the microbiological image of kombucha bacteria and yeasts present in the product, during a ten day storage period. In order to get a fermented dairy beverage, fermented tea inoculum was prepared, in milk with a varied milk fat content (0.9 %, 2.2 %) to the concentration of 10 %. The growth ability of acetic acid bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts was examined. It was determined that the examined microflora was very active, with the number of lactococci on day 0 amounting to 105 cfu/ml, of acetic acid bacteria to 104 cfu/mL and of yeasts and lactobacillus to 103 cfu/ml. After ten days of storing the fermented dairy product at 4 deg C, the viability of acetic acid bacteria was the highest and stood at 108 cfu/ml, of lactococci and yeasts at 104 cfu/mL and of lactobacillus at 103 cfu/ml. The changes in the examined microflora indicate good activity during the storage of the fermented dairy beverage; however, other characteristics of this product must also be looked into, including sensory characteristics, the chemical and nutritional composition.