Laboratory of Mongolian Medicine, Xilinguole Meng Mongolian General Hospital, Xilinhaote 026000, China
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hohhot 010020, China
Inner Mongolia Academy of Chinese and Mongolian Medicine, Hohhot 010010, China
International School of Mongolian Medicine, MNUMS, Ulaanbaatar 999097-15141, Mongolia
Institute of Traditional Medicine and Technology of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 999097-15141, Mongolia
††These authors contributed equally to this work.
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Highlights
(1) This paper, for the first time, uses bibliometric methods to sort out the institutions, countries, authors, and research hotspots that study koumiss.
(2) This paper sorts out the types of lactic acid bacteria and yeast in koumiss and discusses the reasons for the diversity of bacterial species koumiss.
(3) This paper discusses the health benefits of koumiss, such as lowering blood lipids, improving sleep, anti-oxidation, and enhancing immunity.
(4) This paper discusses the traditional fermentation process and industrial production methods of koumiss.
(5) This paper discusses the product development of koumiss.
Graphical Abstract
Koumiss is a traditional dairy beverage made from fermented mare's milk. This study summarised the key areas and hotspots in koumiss research and focused on the research progress related to the microbial diversity, nutritional components, development of koumiss products, health benefits, and production process of koumiss. Koumiss contains abundant lactic acid bacteria and yeast, and screening high-quality strains is of great significance for the development of direct fermentation agents for koumiss. Koumiss is rich in nutrients, containing various unsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and vitamins, which are very important for maintaining good health. Regular consumption of koumiss can improve sleep quality, lower blood pressure, regulate blood lipids, and enhance immunity. The production process of koumiss is mainly divided into traditional processes and industrial production methods. The industrial production of koumiss has become a research focus, and this article also focuses on the industrial production process of koumiss. In addition, koumiss products are also under development. This study would serve as a useful reference for koumiss quality control and koumiss product stability improvement.
Abstract
Koumiss is an acidic dairy beverage made from the raw milk of mares fermented by lactic acid bacteria and yeast, exhibiting country- and region-dependent differences. Koumiss development history dates back over a thousand years and this beverage has a broad consumer market in China, Russia, Europe, and Central Asia. Koumiss is rich in nutrients such as proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, and it displays multiple health benefits, including blood pressure- and cholesterol-reducing, parasitic disease treatment, antioxidant, sleep-improving, and immune regulatory effects. Research on koumiss fermentation as well as on the related strains and components has recently become a hot topic. However, the microbial diversity in koumiss, direct-vat starter development, industrial production, and the koumiss-related health benefits and underlying effector mechanisms require further exploration. To contribute to koumiss product development, this study summarised the key areas and hotspots in koumiss research and focused on the research progress related to the nutritional components, microbial diversity, health benefits, and production process of koumiss. This overview could help to identify bacterial types in koumiss, provide a reference for direct-vat starter development, and shed light on the health benefits of koumiss. Finally, this study would serve as a useful reference for koumiss quality control and koumiss product stability improvement.
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