Kefir Grains

Traditional, authentic kefir can only be prepared by culturing fresh milk with Kefir grains. Note that Kefir grains should not be mistaken for cereal grains. The natural mother-culture is referred to as grains solely due to its granular structure and appearance. This is to say that the grain part of the name can be considered a misnomer. Kefir grains, or kefir granules if you wish, are in fact a natural-starter. The biological structure or each grain [which I feel can be referred to as a bio-matrix] is created through symbiosis a dynamic association between a vast mixture of friendly Lactic acid bacteria [LAB], vinegar-producing bacteria and yeast strains.

A batch of kefir grains consist of many individual white to bone-coloured mostly enclosed bodies made up of a soft, gelatinous biological mass somewhat resembling cooked cauliflower rosettes. The complexity of the kefir grain is a mixture of protein, amino acids, lipids [fats] and soluble-polysaccharides. Kefiran a unique polysaccharide with many health-promoting virtues, is the major polysaccharide of kefir grains and is also found in kefir. The bacteria and yeasts not only create the bio-matrix structure, or the grain, the organisms are also harboured by the very structure that they create; abiding on the surface, and encapsulated within the grain itself.

Traditional kefir [real, authentic kefir] is easily prepared at home, just as it has been performed for many centuries by the ancients of the Caucasus Mountains. Fresh, non-pasteurised or pasteurised full-cream, low fat or non-fat milk is put in a clean suitable container with a smaller portion of kefir grains. The content is left at room temperature for about 24 hours. The resulting developed cultured-milk is strained in order to separate, and retrieve the kefir grains from the liquid-kefir. The grains are reused to repeat the simple process for the following batch. This procedure is performed on an indefinite ongoing basis... for kefir grains last forever.

Strained liquid-kefir may either be consumed fresh, refrigerated for later use, or ripened at room temperature over a period of days. The ripening process is not only useful for individuals who wish to reduce lactose in their kefir, it is important to increase some of the B group of vitamins [For details explaining the simple procedure of ripening, please follow this link situated at Dom's kefir making web page]. Ripening improves overall flavour, while vitamins B1, B6, B9 [folic acid], and CO2 including alcohol increase.

Kefir grains increase in overall volume, numbers of, and by weight, as the grains are self-perpetuating when continually cultured in fresh milk to prepare kefir [biomass increase]. Because of this, a point comes where a portion of kefir grains have to be removed from the batch, in order to prevent overcrowding of kefir grains, and to maintain a reasonable constant grain-to-milk ratio. Apart from the advantage in preventing overcrowding of grains to avoid over fermentation, the other advantage is to produce a kefir with a reasonable constant character and consistency on an ongoing basis. Traditionally, excess or spare kefir grains were either eaten [which I highly recommend], dehydrated and stored as a back -up source, shared among family members, or traded among the tribes-folk of Caucasus, in exchange for other basic essentials.

The kefir grains initiating the fermentation are a combination of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. This symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (or SCOBY) forms "grains" that resemble cauliflower. A complex and highly variable community of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts can be found in these grains, although some predominate; Lactobacillus species are always present. Even successive batches of kefir may differ due to factors such as the kefir grains rising out of the milk while fermenting, or curds forming around the grains, as well as room temperature.

Kefir grains contain kefiran, a water-soluble polysaccharide, which imparts a creamy texture and feeling in the mouth. The grains range in color from white (the acceptable color of healthy grains) to yellow; the latter is the outcome of leaving the grains in the same milk during fermentation for longer than the optimal 24-hour period, and continually doing so over many batches. Grains may grow to the size of walnuts, and in some cases larger.

Source:

• http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#what-is-kefir
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir