Process for Producing a Shelf-Stable and Nutritionally Enhanced Keneto: An Ethiopian Traditional Fermented Barley Beverage.

Abstract

The present invention discloses a standardized production process for a quality-enhanced and shelf-life extended Keneto beverage. The process optimizes thermal processing by machine-roasting raw dried barley grains at a precise temperature of 115°C for 60 minutes to prevent carbohydrate carbonization and minimize acrylamide formation. Following mechanical size reduction, an aqueous extraction is performed at 105°C for 50 minutes. The resulting wort is fermented with a starter culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (0.1% w / v) at 35°C for 8 hours. Post-fermentation stability is established via a synergistic hurdle system combining thermal pasteurization (75°C for 5 minutes) with the sequential addition of 0.1% v / v lemon juice, and 0.1% w / v sodium benzoate. The process significantly reduces batch-to-batch variation, retains essential carbohydrate, protein, and fiber content, and extends the shelf-life stability of the fermented beverage up to 32 days.