Mixture of whey-milk and palm sap for novel kefir beverage using simplex-centroid mixture design

Kefir is a fermented milk beverage with potential health benefits due to its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic effects. This study aimed to optimize the formulation of a probiotic kefir beverage made with cheese whey, milk, and palm sap using the simplex-centroid mixture design method (SCMD). Microbial count, physicochemical characteristics, and acceptability were evaluated. The optimized formulation contained 16.6% (w/v) cheese whey, 78.6% (w/v) palm sap, and 4.8% (w/v) milk, and showed high antioxidant activity (by using 2,2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity) and acceptable sensory properties (based on a preference scale of 1-9). This study confirms the potential of palm sap in the formulation of novel kefir beverages as a source of probiotics.