Can separated yogurt be saved?

[JenJen2012]

I recently purchased Matsoni and Viili starters, followed the instructions, and got 'yogurt' that separated. The Matsoni is three layers - white and clumpy on top and bottom layers with liquid between, and the Viili is thick on the bottom w liquid on the top... I'm really new to this, but as it stares back at me in the fridge, I wonder if I should dump it all and stick with milk kefir, or is it possible to start over with a bit of what is there? If so, what do I use to restart?
Thanks for any suggestions!!!
JJ

[aehebay]

I had the exact same problem with those same two cultures! I was very careful to follow the instructions, like you were. My cultures came with two starter packets each, but I see no logic in trying the same exact thing again and expecting a different result. I plan on calling the company I purchased them from and asking someone there what I can do to make them work.

I live in Texas, and it does get very hot here this time of year. My kitchen, however, is within the temperature range the directions recommend.

Good Luck! I will post again once I find out.

[aehebay]

Hello JenJen,
I received a reply from Cultures for Health. I hope some of this information can be of help to you. It seems that I was allowing mine to culture too long. Email exchange starts at bottom of this post.

CFH:it does sound like your Viili may have also overcultured just a bit. The flavor and texture should develop a little more over the next few batches. Make sure you are keeping a distance of at least 4 feet between your Matsoni and Viili, cross contamination can weaken or damage the cultures. Your milk and temp look great, go ahead with a few more and let me know how things are going.

Me:I used pasteurized whole milk, non UHT. I did not heat the milk before using it. The room temperature fluctuates between 72 and 76 degrees. I cultured the initial starter culture for about 36 hours.
Also, the Viili yogurt I made came out quite grainy. It did not separate, and it tastes fine. Do you think perhaps it cultured too long as well?

Reply from CFH:The separation usually indicates that your yogurt has overcultured a bit. The yogurt will normally continue to culture a bit more in the fridge but at a much slower rate. Go ahead and make a new batch of yogurt using what you just made. Because it separated in the fridge, it should be okay and certainly worth a try.
It sounds like your activation went just a little too long but to make sure there are not any other issues, please let me know a little about how you're making your yogurt.
1) What kind of milk did you use? Organic whole, 2%, goat, raw etc. Make sure it is not ultra pasteurized or ultra high temp.
2) How much milk did you use?
3) What is your ambient temp?
4) How long are you culturing your Matsoni?
Let me know how your next batch goes.

My initial email to CFH:I purchased some Matsoni yogurt culture with my recent order. I carefully followed the instructions, and waited until the yogurt pulled away from the jar in one mass before refrigerating it. During refrigeration, it separated into curds (on top) and liquid on the bottom. I have the second packet of culture to use, but I would like to make sure I am doing this properly before trying again!
Also, can you tell me if a curdled/separated culture can be used as starter for a new batch of yogurt? I do not want to throw it out if I can somehow use it.

[Takelababy]

Since culture packets aren't available here I use 1/4c of commercial Activia (plain) and Lactaid milk. This was heated in my small slow cooker then everything was wrapped in towels and placed in a picnic cooler overnight. Lovely yogurt in the morning. It sounds like your batches were already turning to soft cheese and whey. I never throw anything out as long as there's no mold. I'd pour off the liquid and save then wrap the remainder in layers of cheese cloth and hang and catch the drippings. The liquid is good for pets, chickens, pigs. unless you have another use for the whey.

[vortexforest]

I say stir it together. Sometimes I buy yogurt that has separated from the whey and I just stir it back in.

[LuciaLoosha]

In terms of if you want to eat it, it is a matter of taste.

My best advice would be to add less starter next time. My biggest failures, especially in terms of separation, have been when I've added too much starter. We all know more isn't always better but it can just be so tempting!