FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF HERBAL WATER KEFIR BEVERAGE USING GUAVA LEAF POWDER: A STUDY ON FUNCTIONAL AND SENSORY ATTRIBUTES

The main aim of this study is to evaluate the nutritional composition, physicochemical parameters, and sensory analysis of the new herbal water kefir beverage, guava water kefir beverage. Plain kefir is used as a base formulation, and guava kefir drink is developed by adding selected medicinal herbs with bioactive components. Nutritional analysis of a plain water kefir and herbal combination of different herbal powders, ginger, mint leaves, and lemon powder was carried out using the standard chemical methods. The nutritional and organoleptic properties of guava-based kefir beverages that have been fermented and kept at room temperature and in a cool environment are examined in this study. According to vitamin evaluation, thermolabile substances, including vitamin B12 (3.75 ± 0.19 µg/mL vs. 3.11 ± 0.62 µg/mL) and vitamin C (93.00 ± 0.40 µg/mL vs. 92.00 ± 0.85 µg/mL), were significantly preserved during cold storage. Guava kefir's physicochemical analysis revealed moderate acidity (titratable acidity: 4.36%) and regulated ethanol production (2.82%–3.58%), in contrast to the control samples' greater levels of carbonation and alcohol. While cool storage reduced metabolite overproduction, room temperature settings improved microbial fermentation indicators. Using a 9-point hedonic scale, the sensory evaluation produced consistently high scores for look, taste, smell, and texture, as well as an overall acceptance of 7.675 ± 0.2 with little statistical variation (p > 0.05). The formulation and analysis of a guava water kefir herbal beverage, incorporating guava leaves, represents a novel approach in creating a functional beverage with enhanced nutritional and health benefits. This research paper will deal with the formulation of herbal plant powder and utilize it in healthy probiotics as well as an innovative water kefir drink, which will lead to the development of a healthy beverage. It developed a new herbal probiotic beverage from herbal plants, which will provide novel uses for underutilized plants. It will further provide consumers with new alternatives to probiotic herbal beverages. Moreover, this research will bring light to the potential of medicinal plants for new food product development.