Antifungal effect of kefir fermented milk and shelf life improvement of corn arepas

摘要

Fungal-contamination negatively affects the production of cereal foods such as arepa loaf an ancient corn bread consumed daily in several countries of Latin-America. Chemical preservatives such as potassium sorbate are applied in order to improve the arepa's shelf life and to reduce the health risks. The use of natural preservatives such as natural fermented products in food commodities is a common demand among the consumers. Kefir is a milk fermented beverage obtained by fermentation of kefir grains. Its antibacterial and probiotic activity has been exhaustively demonstrated.