Mathematical modelling of ethanol production as a function of temperature during lactic-alcoholic fermentation of goat’s milk after hydrolysis and transgalactosylation of lactose

Abstract Kefir prepared from goat’s milk after enzymatic lactose bioconversion is a novel and increasingly popular milk product. During the production of kefir, fermentation conditions must be selected to ensure the final product is consistently of the same quality, as the most important feature of the drink is the ethanol content. The aim of the work described in this paper was the development of a mathematical model that could describe the dynamic process of ethanol production during kefir fermentation of lactose-free goat’s milk after enzymatic synthesis of galactooligosaccharides (GOS). Mathematical parameters of the equation used were given a biological significance, these parameters were defined with appropriate functions, in which temperature was taken as the dependent variable. We have created a model to enable a controlled fermentation process. Parameterization of the kinetics of the synthesis of ethanol in goat’s milk after hydrolysis and transgalactosylation of lactose allows production with reproducible quality control.