Abstract:Water kefir is a kind of non-animal source traditional fermented beverage with great development potential, which is named for its rich probiotics and beneficial substances. It can be applied to different raw material substrates, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals and teas, etc., with low sugar content, low acidity, carbonation and alcohol content after fermentation, and can be used to develop products for specific consumers, such as lactose intolerance, veganism or vegetarianism. Water kefir particle fermentation can increase the added value of products, make full use of by-products, reduce environmental pollution and crop waste. It also has great development potential in terms of functional activity, and can be used for disease prevention and treatment and health care. The co-culture mode of yeast and lactic acid bacteria in water kefir medium increased the number of interacting bacteria, which described that the interaction between strains in water kefir granules was mutually beneficial. In this paper, the physiological function, formation mechanism, fermentation type and microbial species of water kefir were reviewed to clarify the significance and application prospect of developing functional water kefir fermented beverage. Moreover, different fermentation substrate types at home and abroad were summarized to provide reference value for the development of new fermented beverage and functional product according to their physical properties and microbial species.
