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Kefir

PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:19 pm
by Durgan
I make what would be considered fairly good kefir. I have read much about the process and one bit confuses me.

To make a new batch all literature talks about straining the grains to start the new batch. I started to experiment and simply took a large gob of the solid material and used that for starter of the new batch. It worked just fine. Then I went further and just used the whey for starter. That worked fine also.

My conclusion after many trials is the culture is present throughout the material and straining out the grains for seeding the new batch is absolutely unnecessary.

Here is my process in pictures.
http://durgan.org/2017/December%202017/31%20December%202017%20Kefir/HTML/ 31 December 2017 Kefir
Kefir new batch 24 hours fermentation. Pictures depict process.
Image

Re: Kefir

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:16 am
by dri
I too found straining to be unnecessary, I just use a spoon or fork to transfer the grains. (see https://youtu.be/WymzVVPokh4).

But I do think there is something to the grains vs whey vs liquid kefir as starters. The kefir milk and whey definitely contains lots of bacteria and yeast, but many scientific articles have looked at the diversity and the grains have different balances than the whey which is different from the kefir. Different bacteria grow at different temps and Ph, so the final kefir has a complex mix. Reproducing from whey will favor the dominate faster-growing bacteria and reduce the diversity compared to the grains which harbor the more complex mix. After few batches, the mix might be quite different as the faster-growing bacteria dominate more each batch. The grain, however, maintains an internal environment with lower ph that keeps various bacterial alive and allows them to reproduce well, even in fresh milk.

Just as an example, Lactobacilli kefiran only survive in a lower ph environment so will not reproduce well from when into fresh milk and in a few batches it may not be present while other bacteria and yeasts grow to dominate. While both yeast and lactobacilli kefiran produce carbonation, so whey-based batches may have the fizzy texture, lactobacilli kefiran will produce a different flavor and is bacterial that produces the grains.

The above is, of course, just theoretical. Might be interesting to do an experiment to see how different the flavors are after a few batches.

Re: Kefir

PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:34 am
by Dostoevsky
I guess I don't understand the big benefit here. Straining isn't much work at all, so you're saving maybe 2-3 minutes of time?

Durgan wrote:My conclusion after many trials is the culture is present throughout the material and straining out the grains for seeding the new batch is absolutely unnecessary.

I don't know how you can make such a claim unless your kefir has been tested in a lab.

Re: Kefir

PostPosted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:26 pm
by Durgan
Nobody checks the content of the kefir they are making. They get a sample,usually from an associate and merrily make kefir. This is what I'm going to use now.

This is one seller’s description of his grains, which is probably more than acceptable. Milk kefir grains. Australia.

“I obtained my milk kefir-grains in late summer of 1978 from a local friend who has her own milking goats. The circumstances surrounding the fashion if which I was able to procure those milk kefir-grains, which I was on the lookout for about 3 years prior, is an interesting story in its own merit. The culture has been diligently cared for by yours truly over this time. Among the original stock is currently a mixture of now 12 other batches of milk kefir-grains which have been obtained from different sources around the world over the years. These are now mixed together as a single batch, to ensure best quality culture from all batches mixed together as one. This is my personal observation with much research on my part.”

They are now available at a premium here.
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#order

Re: Kefir

PostPosted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:22 am
by Dostoevsky
Durgan wrote:Nobody checks the content of the kefir they are making.

True, but nobody (other than you) has claimed that straining is "absolutely unnecessary".

Re: Kefir

PostPosted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:39 pm
by Durgan
Dostoevsky wrote:
Durgan wrote:Nobody checks the content of the kefir they are making.

True, but nobody (other than you) has claimed that straining is "absolutely unnecessary".


OK you are right. I will withdraw my claim. All I know it coagulates and looks like kefir. I will go back to straining the grains.