Innovative Fermented Beverages Made with Red Rice, Barley, and Buckwheat.

The increase in food intolerances, allergies, and food-based lifestyle choices has dramatically increased the consumer demand for healthy foods characterized by pleasant sensory traits. In such a context, innovative cereal-based beverages are characterized by high nutritional value, pleasant palatability, and potential healthy properties. In the present study, a pool of 23 lactic acid bacteria strains was preliminary assayed as monocultures for the fermentation of three ad hoc formulated cereal- (red rice and barley) and pseudocereal (buckwheat) -based substrates. Eight strains with the best performance in terms of acidification rate were selected for the formulation of three multiple strain cultures to be further exploited for the manufacture of laboratory-scale prototypes of fermented beverages. The compositional and microbiological features of the three experimental beverages highlighted their high biological value for further exploitation.