Milk Kefir Grains - long strands

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Milk Kefir Grains - long strands

Postby kefir_14 on Mon Aug 20, 2018 5:13 am

Hello,

I recently started making milk Kefir again. In the past it has always looked like little grains of cauliflower but this time the Kefir grains I acquired are quite large with long strands.

Here is a photo:
IMG_6286.JPG
Milk Kefir grains - long strands
IMG_6286.JPG (75.33 KiB) Viewed 6357 times


I’m curious to know why it looks so different from the Kefir grains I have used in the past and all the photos I see on the internet. It seems to ferment well and is very active with grains multiplying. I assumed it might change over time and become smaller but they don’t seem to be. Is this ok? Has anyone else seen this before or have any information on why this happens? I’m just curious why it looks different?

Many thanks
kefir_14
 
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Re: Milk Kefir Grains - long strands

Postby irie1029 on Tue Aug 21, 2018 7:40 am

I found this site to be fascinating and over the top informative regarding everything you could possibly want to know about kefir. Scroll down to Growth Cycle of Kefir Grains.

http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kef ... microflora
irie1029
 
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Re: Milk Kefir Grains - long strands

Postby dri on Tue Aug 21, 2018 9:48 pm

Grains often deform when they are stressed. Stress can be physical containment, lack of nutrients, extreme temps, UV rays, aggressive straining, and a host of other things. Deformed grains are often smooth which your's seem to be.

If the stressor is removed, the grains should return to more normal growth including the classic cauliflower texture. Mine went through a deformation into noodle-like texture when I tried a container to hold the grains.

Note your descriptions sounds like classic "small" grains. But grains can be much larger grains. My grains grow to between 1/2 cup to 1cup in volume before I have to cut them into pieces. I don't strain anymore, I just use a fork to grab the grain an transfer it. You can see my grains in my video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WymzVVPokh4&t=45s

If they are stressed, try giving them a good amount of milk and let them rest a bit in the fridge for a week or so.
dri
 
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Re: Milk Kefir Grains - long strands

Postby kefir_14 on Tue Aug 28, 2018 7:23 am

Thanks for the reply. I almost exclusively ferment in the fridge for about a week.

You mention noodle like... when I acquired the Kefir grains I had noted to myself that some of my grains were actually like strands of thick spaghetti and even fettuccine size and shape.
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