iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Kefir

Enlarge picture
Grains of kefir
For the Islamic term, see Kaffir.
Kefir (alternately keefir, kephir, kewra, talai, mudu kekiya, milkkefir, búlgaros) is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep's milk with kefir grains. Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a doorway, and the bag was knocked by everyone passing through the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed.[1]

Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. This symbiotic matrix forms grains that resemble cauliflower. Today, kefir is becoming increasingly popular due to new research into its health benefits. Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organisms.[2]

Traditional kefir is fermented at ambient temperatures, generally overnight. Fermentation of the lactose yields a sour, carbonated, slightly alcoholic beverage, with a consistency similar to thin yogurt[3]. Kefir fermented by small-scale dairies early in the twentieth century achieved alcohol levels between 1% and 2%, but kefir made commercially with modern methods of production has less than 1% alcohol, possibly due to reduced fermentation time.[1]

Variations that thrive in various other liquids exist. They may vary markedly from kefir in both appearance and microbial composition. Water kefir (or kefir d'acqua) is grown in water with sugar, dry fruit such as figs, and lemon juice for a day or more at room temperature.

Making Kefir

Wikibooks has an article on
Enlarge picture
90 grams of kefir grains
Production of traditional kefir requires kefir grains which are a gelatinous community of bacteria and yeasts. Kefir grains contain a water soluble polysaccharide known as kefiran that imparts a rope-like texture and feeling in one's mouth. Kefir grains cannot be produced from scratch, but the grains grow during fermentation, and additional grains are produced. Kefir grains can be purchased or acquired from other hobbyists, see below. Kefir grains appear white to yellow and are usually the size of a walnut, but may be as small as a grain of rice.

Care of kefir grains

When kefir grains are not in use they may be stored wet or dry. They can be stored wet up to 8 to 10 days in water at 4ºC. Alternatively they may be wrapped in cheese cloth and allowed to dry for 36 to 48 hours at room temperature, and these dried grains may be stored at room temperature in an envelope for 12 to 18 months. Dried kefir grains may be reactivated by several successive growth cycles in milk. The grains are ready for kefir production when the kefir they produce looks and smells like the original (wet) form. This re-growth stage is required to re-establish the correct bacterial balance within the culture.

Kefir grains may become contaminated with undesirable bacteria such as coliforms and other spoilage bacteria that shorten the kefir shelf-life. To guard against this, kefir-making containers should be washed and sanitized prior to making kefir. Suitable containers include glass jars such as jam jars or pickle jars, but any suitably sized glass container will work. When necessary to wash kefir grains they should be also washed in pre-boiled and chilled water or fresh milk. Use of chloraminated tap water should be avoided, but if necessary it should be de-chloraminated.

Production of Kefir

To make kefir, milk should be inoculated with kefir grains (5% w/w) and incubated until a smooth yoghurt-like consistency develops. This is generally 12 hours at 18 - 22ºC. Carbonated kefir may be produced by sealing the fermented product into beer bottles for ripening (1 to 3 days at 10ºC). Kefir should be kept out of direct sunlight. If you have no means to regulate the temperature of fermentation, then the top of a warm refrigerator or a cupboard above the stove are suitable places. In warm to hot climates, kefir may be produced by placing the fermentation vessel into the refrigerator during the day and on the counter top at night.
  1. Strain the prior day's kefir batch with a sanitized sieve.
  2. Return the grains to a sanitized glass jar. Add fresh pasteurized or raw milk, and cover loosely.
  3. Enjoy the liquid kefir portion that went through the strainer.
  4. Leave the new batch to sit and ferment.


Available commercial starter cultures do not make traditional kefir. These starters contain selected bacteria and yeasts isolated from kefir grains and will not produce kefir grains. These starter cultures result in a more consistent product as opposed to traditional kefir which varies from batch to batch.

See also: kumis, ayran, lassi, tibicos and other dairy products.

Health Benefits

One can change the nutrient content by simply fermenting for shorter or longer periods. Both stages have different healthful benefits. For instance, kefir over-ripened (increases sour taste) significantly increases folic acid content.[4] Kefir also aids in lactose digestion, making it more suitable than other dairy products for those who are lactose intolerant.[5] The kefiran in kefir has been shown to suppress an increase in blood pressure and reduce serum cholesterol levels in rats.[6]

Drinking Kefir

While some drink kefir straight, many find it too sour on its own and prefer to add fruits, honey, maple syrup or other flavors or sweeteners. Frozen bananas, strawberries, blueberries or other fruits can be mixed with kefir in a blender to make a smoothie. Vanilla, agave nectar and other flavorings may also be added. Still others enjoy kefir, in lieu of milk, on cereal or granola. It is also a typical and universally available breakfast drink (again, in lieu of milk) across all areas of the former Soviet Union, where it has been popularized as a cheap health drink.

Culinary Uses

Kefir is one of the main ingriedients in Lithuanian cold beet soup šaltibarščiai (commonly known as cold borscht). Other variations of kefir soups and foods prepared with kefir are vastly popular across the former Soviet Union, likely due to cow milk kefir's near-universal availability from just about any grocery and dairy shop in the USSR.

Different milk types

Kefir grains will successfully ferment the milk from most mammals, and will continue to grow in such milk. Typical milks used include cow, goat, and sheep, each with varying and nutritional qualities.

In addition, kefir grains will ferment non-mammal "milks" such as soy milk, rice milk, and coconut milk, as well as other sugary liquids including fruit juice, coconut water, beer worts and ginger beer. However, the kefir grains may cease growing if the medium used does not contain all the growth factors required by the bacteria (which are all present in mammalian milk), so it is best to only use excess kefir grains for trying alternative fermentation media.

Milk sugar is, however, not essential for the synthesis of the polysaccharide that makes up the grains (kefiran), and scientific studies have demonstrated that rice hydrolysate is a suitable alternative medium.[7] Additionally, it has been shown that kefir grains will reproduce when fermenting soy milk, although they will change in appearance and size due to the differing proteins available to them.[8]

References

1. ^ Farnworth, Edward R. (2003). Handbook of Fermented Functional Foods. CRC. ISBN 0-8493-1372-4. 
2. ^ Lopitz-Otsoa, F; Rementeria, A; Elguezabal, N; Garaizar, J (2006). "Kefir: A symbiotic yeast-bacteria community with alleged healthy capabilities". Revista Iberoamericana de Micología 23: 67-74. Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
3. ^ Kowsikowski, F., and V. Mistry. 1997. Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods, 3rd ed, vol. I. F. V. Kowsikowski, L.L.C., Westport, Conn.
4. ^ Kneifel, W; Mayer, HK (1991). "Vitamin profiles of kefirs made from milks of different species". International Journal of Food Science & Technology 26: 423-428. 
5. ^ Hertzler, Steven R.; Clancy, Shannon M. (2003 May). "Kefir improves lactose digestion and tolerance in adults with lactose maldigestion". Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103 (5): 582-587. DOI:10.1053/jada.2003.50111. Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
6. ^ Maeda, H; Zhu, X; Omura, K; Suzuki, S; Kitamura, S (2004-12-30). "Effects of an exopolysaccharide (kefiran) on lipids, blood pressure, blood glucose, and constipation". BioFactors 22 (1-4): 197-200. Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
7. ^ Maeda, H; Zhu, X; Suzuki, S; Suzuki, K; Kitamura, S (2004-08-25). "Structural characterization and biological activities of an exopolysaccharide kefiran produced by Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens WT-2B(T)". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52 (17): 5533-8. DOI:10.1021/jf049617g. Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 
8. ^ Abraham, Analía G.; de Antoni, Graciela L. (May 1999). "Characterization of kefir grains grown in cows' milk and in soya milk". Journal of Dairy Research 66 (2): 327-333. DOI:10.1017/S0022029999003490. Retrieved on 2007-06-09. 

External links

Turkçe kefir gurubu
The word Kafir an Islamic term usually translated as "infidel". The words kaffir, kafir, and their variations may also have the meanings described below.

Use outside Islam


..... Click the link for more information.
Fermentation typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids.
..... Click the link for more information.
Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals (including monotremes). Mammary glands are highly specialized sweat glands. The female ability to produce milk is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
..... Click the link for more information.
The word drink is primarily a verb, meaning to ingest liquids. As a noun, it refers to the liquid that is ingested. It is often used in a narrower sense to refer to alcoholic beverages (as both a verb and a noun).
..... Click the link for more information.
Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia bordered on the north by Russia, on the southwest by Turkey, on the west by the Black Sea, on the east by the Caspian Sea, and on the south by Iran. The Caucasus includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands.
..... Click the link for more information.
Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled.
If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or .
..... Click the link for more information.
C. a. hircus

Trinomial name
Capra aegagrus hircus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a domesticated subspecies of the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe.
..... Click the link for more information.
Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism.
If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or .
..... Click the link for more information.
Goatskin is the skin of a goat, or the leather made from it.

The skin is commonly used to make rugs. The leather is considered extremely durable and is often used for gloves, drumheads or sounding boards of some musical instruments, e.g, esraj.
..... Click the link for more information.
Bacteria

Phyla

Actinobacteria
Aquificae
Chlamydiae
Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi
Chloroflexi
Chrysiogenetes
Cyanobacteria
Deferribacteres
Deinococcus-Thermus
Dictyoglomi
Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria
Firmicutes
Fusobacteria
..... Click the link for more information.
Ascomycota (sac fungi)
  • Saccharomycotina (true yeasts)
  • Taphrinomycotina
  • Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts)
Basidiomycota (club fungi)
  • Urediniomycetes

..... Click the link for more information.
Proteins are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues.
..... Click the link for more information.
Lipids can be broadly defined as any fat-soluble (hydrophobic), naturally-occurring molecules. The term is more-specifically used to refer to fatty-acids and their derivatives (including tri-, di-, and monoglycerides and phospholipids) as well as other fat-soluble sterol-containing
..... Click the link for more information.
Sugars, brown
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 0 kcal   0 kJ

Carbohydrates     97.33 g
- Sugars  96.21 g
- Dietary fiber  0 g  
Fat 0 g
Protein 0 g
Water 1.77 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1)  0.
..... Click the link for more information.
Lactose is a disaccharide that consists of β-D-galactose and β-D-glucose molecules bonded through a β1-4 glycosidic linkage. Lactose makes up around 2-8% of the solids in milk. The name comes from the Latin word for milk, plus the -ose ending used to name sugars.
..... Click the link for more information.
Carbonation occurs when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water or an aqueous solution. This process yields the "fizz" to carbonated water and sparkling mineral water, the head to beer, and the cork pop and bubbles to champagne and sparkling wine.
..... Click the link for more information.
An alcoholic beverage (also known as booze in slang term) is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of alcohol includes many other compounds.
..... Click the link for more information.
twentieth century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000, according to the Gregorian calendar. Some historians consider the era from about 1914 to 1991 to be the Short Twentieth Century.
..... Click the link for more information.
Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria.
..... Click the link for more information.
Water is a common chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life.[1] In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ficus
L.

Species

see text

Figs, dried
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 0 kcal   0 kJ

Carbohydrates     64 g
- Sugars  48 g
- Dietary fiber  10 g  
Fat 1 g
..... Click the link for more information.
C. × limon

Binomial name
Citrus × limon
(L.) Burm.f.

The lemon (Citrus × limon) is a hybrid in cultivated wild plants.
..... Click the link for more information.
Bacteria

Phyla

Actinobacteria
Aquificae
Chlamydiae
Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi
Chloroflexi
Chrysiogenetes
Cyanobacteria
Deferribacteres
Deinococcus-Thermus
Dictyoglomi
Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria
Firmicutes
Fusobacteria
..... Click the link for more information.
Kefiran is the clear or pale yellow slimy polysaccharide gel exuded by dairy kefir grains.

Dairy kefir grains are symbiotic consortia of bacteria and yeasts which ferment mammal milk containing the complex sugar lactose.
..... Click the link for more information.
Chloramine (monochloramine) is a chemical compound with the formula NH2Cl. It is usually used as a dilute solution where it is used as a disinfectant. The term chloramine also refers to a family of organic compounds with the formulas R2NCl and RNCl
..... Click the link for more information.
Yoghurt or yogurt, or less commonly yoghourt or yogourt (see spelling below), is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of the milk sugar (lactose) produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yoghurt its
..... Click the link for more information.
Fermentation starters (called simply starters within the corresponding context) are preparations to assist the beginning of the fermentation process in preparation of various foods and s.
..... Click the link for more information.
Kumis is a fermented dairy product traditionally made from mares' milk. The drink remains important to the people of the Central Asian steppes, including the Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols and Yakuts.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ayran or tan (IPA: [aɪˈran]) (Turkish: ayran; Kurdish: Mast ow ; Persian: دوغ(doogh) ; Kazakh Айран ; Bulgarian:
..... Click the link for more information.
Lassi is a traditional North Indian beverage, originally from Punjab made by blending yogurt with water, salt, and spices until frothy. Yogurt is mentioned in ancient Indian texts, and so is buttermilk. Yogurt sweetened with honey is used in Hindu rituals.
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter