Water Kefir

I will not be posting information on the newby site because I am a very private person

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carkeys said:

I will not be posting information on the newby site because I am a very private person. I have been debating for a while whether I should register for your forum or not. I am just not the type of person who will post things on the net. I am very familiar with your site and read it everyday, I also bought a few of your books. Hope you understand, I am just one of those people who likes to be informed, but at the same time I do not want my information on the web.

thanks!

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ashu said:

I believe kombucha is a similar beverage to kefir in that it also serves as a curative brew. However I have not researched much into it as I once brought a bottle of kombucha and it was really too sweet for my tastebuds! I personally prefer sauerkraut.

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Goemon_ said:

I will test it again next week. In the meanwhile I am buying different brands of kombucha found on shops around my place. The one I have found that indicate the lower sugar content indicate 20 gr by liter. Another one don't indicate the sugar content but seems much lower in sugar by the taste. As the refractometer is accurate at 20°C room and product temperature I will test this other product when the ambient temperature will be lower. Probably before going to bed or tomorrow morning.

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Goemon_ said:

Goemon_ said:

I will test it again next week. In the meanwhile I am buying different brands of kombucha found on shops around my place. The one I have found that indicate the lower sugar content indicate 20 gr by liter. Another one don't indicate the sugar content but seems much lower in sugar by the taste. As the refractometer is accurate at 20°C room and product temperature I will test this other product when the ambient temperature will be lower. Probably before going to bed or tomorrow morning.

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Test result : 1% sugar

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It is important to realize the difference between sugar and sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohol doesn't digest. If you test the mixture with a ketone strip, you will see a high register. However, if you test your blood sugars afterward, you will likely notice no difference at all. That is the key! Homemade Kombucha batches will vary in the amount of sugar alcohol they contain, but they will all likely be extremely low in carbs (if not zero carb) as far as your blood stream is concerned.

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How Fermentation Lowers the Carb Count of Foods

One of the beauties of the fermentation process is that it actually lowers the carbohydrate count of the food you are fermenting.

Fermentation occurs when bacteria feasts off of the carbohydrates found in a food. In making kombucha that food is the sugar. In making sourdough bread that food is the flour. In making sauerkraut that food is the carbohydrates in the cabbage. In making yogurt that food is the lactose naturally occurring in milk.

In fermentation, the sugars and starches are eaten up by the bacteria cultures, and converted to lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and more bacteria. So, by definition, fermentation is a process one could use to lower the dietary carbohydrate levels found in various foods.

It is difficult to know the exact carbohydrate count of a fermented food, but there is one principle to keep in mind if you are concerned about the carbohydrates in your fermented foods:

The longer the fermentation time, the more carbohydrates eaten up by the organisms, the more sour the ferment, the lower the dietary carbohydrate count.

So by controlling the culturing, you control the carbohydrates found in fermented foods and in this way you can eat low-carb and enjoy many fermented foods.

Low Carb Fermented Foods

Kombucha. Allow it to ferment a bit longer and achieve a nice tang before consuming. A second ferment will further reduce sugars and develop flavor.

Water Kefir. Allow this also to ferment longer until good and tart. In order not to stress the grains, remove them after 48 hours, and continue with a second ferment to further reduce sugars.

_http://www.culturesforhealth.com/low-carb-fermented-foods

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Q: Lactic acid calories?

Some months ago I started doing my own yogurt and kefir at home. I also successfully converted the milk kefir grains into water kefir ones, which I use for many things, just to name some: to trigger the fermentation of sauerkraut or to prepare a carbonated drink with little to no sugars but which tastes great and is a bomb of beneficial bacteria.

But... I've always been wondering about the metabolism of lactic acid. To start with, does it bring calories? How many (if any, I assume they are less than the sugar it comes from)? Or has it negative calories as the body must get rid of it somehow? Does it interfere with insulin? With ketosis? Is lactic acid safe in quantities, or just something to assume from time to time?

I have been looking for answers but with little success: many different contradicting opinions and no definitive, scientifically proven, response.

Anybody?

Thanks in advance!!!

Answer 1: 2 molecules of lactate require 6 ATP to be converted into 1 molecule of glucose:

Cori cycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 molecule of glucose yields 36 molecules of ATP via glycolysis when burnt aerobically.

So, 1 molecule of lactate requires 3 ATP to convert it to half a molecule of glucose (equivalent to 18 ATP).

So 1 molecule of lactate has the same calories minus 1/6 as 1 molecule of glucose. So lets say ballpark approx 80% of the calories by weight as glucose, as I can't be bothered to calculate the exact relative molecular masses right now.

Answer 2: It was indeed the Cori Cycle I was looking for and could not find, thanks a lot! That's a good starting point for my research. Now I have to understand if the lactate we eat, not the one we produce under anaerobic conditions, follows the same path. That would give an estimation of the real calories of yogurt.
From what I see so far it seems that it may cause insulin release: lactate -> glucose -> glycemic index -> omg An explanation why the periods in which I eat more yogurt/kefir I am not in ketosis???

P.S. I think you mixed the two words lactose and lactate, but not problem.

Answer 3: Assuming that you assimilate lactate from your digestive system, and there is no reason to believe otherwise, it would enter the portal vein on its way to the liver. Your liver would have no way to differentiate that lactate from the one produced endogenously in muscles when there is insufficient oxygen to process pyruvate in the Krebs cycle.

Now, since lactate is produced by glycolysis in the muscles, I doubt very much that insulin would enter the picture because this would effect a net transfer of glucose from muscles that need it to tissues that do not, like adipose tissue, for instance, or other muscles that were not actively being used ( think quadriceps when you're doing pullups ).

Insulin causes muscles cells to translocate GLUT4 glucose transporters from within the cell to the cell membrane where they can bind plasma glucose. Exercise does the exact same thing in a non-insulin dependent way. So, here is the scenario:

- You are cranking through some intense pullups, generating boatloads of lactic acid, feeling the burn, going for broke.
- Your lats, forearms, biceps are all screaming hoping for either more oxygen to be delivered, or glucose, and they've all sprouted GLUT4 receptors to try to soak up whatever is available in the blood stream.
- Your liver sees a bunch of lactate in the blood stream and starts extracting it to run that substrate through the gluconeogenesis cycle.
- The proceeds from hepatic gluconeogenesis hit the blood stream on their way to those hard working muscles.

At this point, if there is a significant insulin response, that undermines the entire process as all insulin sensitive tissues will do their best to extract the glucose from the blood stream thereby essentially robbing the working muscles of what by all rights is their glucose as it is being produced from their lactate. If there is no significant insulin response, then only those muscle cells that are expressing GLUT4 due to exercise will extract glucose from the bloodstream, which is what we want.

So, from a physiological point of view, I would not expect a strong insulin response from ingesting lactate, unless we are talking about massively supra-physiological levels. However, it is well known that dairy proteins are highly insulinogenic in and of themselves, quite independent of any carbohydrate contents, which might explain why eating yogurt knocks you out of ketosis, although that shouldn't be a cause for concern.

_http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread56210.html

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Can you eat the kefir grains too?

Yes. They are rather bland - flavorless except for the lingering flavor of the kefir (or sugar-water) that they are in (unlike delicious milk kefir grains which are like sour gummy worms). They are however very benificial for your health because they're chalk full of probiotics. Many people choose to eat their extra grains, or feed them to pets. What's even better is the option to eat just the grains, if your body is not tolerating the acidic nature or the sugar content of your kefir drink. Just blend up some grains into a normal smoothie or any drink that isn't boiling (which will kill the microflora). You can also dry them and eat them dried as a seasoning (crush them into powder and sprinkle on your salad or pasta) or treat as well. The dried form is not as flavorful as dried milk kefir grains either, but can make for an excellent home-made probiotic. Just dry your grains, throw them in a coffee bean grinder or food processor/blender and you will have your own probiotic powder supplement! Some small studies have shown them to have anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory and blood pressure normalizing properties. They have also helped some people in the reduction of high blood cholesterol as well as proven for some to be a beneficial treatment for IBS, Ulcerative Colitis and gastric ulcers. You can try taking as much as 1/8 cup a day for a short period for medicinal purposes (or daily for overall health if consuming just a few grains). Moderation is always key - be sure to allow your body a rest once in awhile, even from this!

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How can I reduce the amount of alcohol in kefir?

There isn't really a way to reduce alcohol save boiling the kefir (which then negates all the healthful properties of the living probiotics). To discourage increases in alcohol simply keep your lid on loose while fermenting and during storage as well. This oxidation encourages acetic acids (which turn wine into vinegar) to balance the process. Alcohol is formed by yeast in a mostly anaerobic/no air environment. Lactic acid is formed by the bacteria in a low-oxygen environment. Store with ample room between the kefir and the lid to provide more oxygen. This will encourage the various bacteria to be as balance out the yeast, and diminish the amount of alcohol it is able to form. The alcohol produced will also depend on the type and amount of sugar, grains and fermentation time. More sugar will create a higher alcohol content (especially if bottled in an air-tight container). A shorter ferment will also be too high in sugar and not high enough in the acids that help to counter balance the alcohol activity.

_http://www.yemoos.com/faqwamain.html

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Strains of bacteria and yeast found in Kefir Grains (and kefir itself):

Water kefir is typically composed of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus and Leuconostoc bacteria with yeasts from Saccharomyces, Candida, Kloeckera and possibly other minor yeasts.

Bacteria

Species Lactobacillus
L. acidophilus
L. alactosus
L. brevis
L. bulgaricus
L. casei subsp. casei
L. casei subsp. pseudoplantarum
L. casei subsp. rhamnosus
L. casei subsp. tolerans
L. coryneformis subsp. torquens
L. fructosus
L. hilgardii
L. homohiochi
L. plantarum
L. psuedoplantarum
L. reuterietc
L. yamanashiensis

Species Streptococcus
S. agalactiae
Sr. bovis
S. cremeris
S. faecalis
S. lactis
S. mutans
S. pneumoniae
S. pyogenes
S. salivarius
S. sanguinis
S. suis
S. viridans

Species Pediococcus
P. damnosus

Species Leuconostoc
L. mesenteroides

Species Bacillus
B. subtilis
B. graveolus

YEASTS

Species Saccharomyces
S. bayanus
S. boullardii
S. cerevisiae
S. florentinus
S. pretoriensis
S. uvarum

Species Kloeckera
K. apiculata

Species Hansenula
H. yalbensis

Species Candida
C. gueretana
C. lamica
C. valida
*does not contain C. albicans - the yeast associated with human yeast infections and 'candida' in
general

Species Torulopsis
T. insconspicna
*does not contain T. glabrata, also associated with yeast infections and 'candida'


The above research is largely from the work of Dolores Sanchez-Penalver, Aidoo, Dominic
Anfiteatro, and Ronald S. Brown, with additional resources from Abosluteastronomy Encyclopedia. We have not personally verified the list.

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Water kefir as a promising low-sugar probiotic fermented beverage

Background
Water kefir is a slightly sweet, acidic, fruity, sparkling, and slightly alcoholic fermented beverage produced with water kefir grains, the latter consisting of polysaccharides and micro-organisms. The micro-organisms involved in water kefir fermentation comprise yeast, lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, and acetic acid bacteria. Some strains of micro-organisms in water kefir might possess probiotic activity. Also, water kefir is a beverage with relatively low sugar content, providing an interesting alternative to sugary soft drinks. To be able to exploit water kefir for its probiotic potential or as a low-sugar soft-drink, in-depth research is needed to unravel the species diversity and community dynamics of water kefir fermentation. In particular, substrate consumption and metabolite production in water kefir have not been studied until now.

Results
Species diversity analyses indicated that the most important microbial species were Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, Lactobacillus harbinensis, Lactobacillus hilgardii, Bifidobacterium psychraerophilum/crudilactis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Dekkera bruxellensis. This microbial species diversity was similar in the water kefir liquor and on the water kefir grains, and remained stable during the whole fermentation process. Some strains of these species, such as Lb. casei and Bifidobacterium spp., might possess probiotic activities. Sucrose, the major substrate of the fermentation was completely converted after 24 h of fermentation, which coincided with the production of the water kefir grain polysaccharide. The main metabolites of the fermentation were ethanol and lactic acid, whereas glycerol, acetic acid, and mannitol were produced in low concentrations. The most prevailing volatile aroma compounds (relative to their threshold values) were ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. These are fruity esters which might have a positive impact on the aroma of the end-product.

Conclusions
In this study the species diversity, community dynamics, substrate consumption, and metabolite production during water kefir fermentation were described in detail. This work provides a basis for further developments of water kefir as healthy, low-sugar, probiotic fermented beverage.

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The joy of using Kefir is that one sachet can last a lifetime. Furthermore, the best results for probiotics come from using live cultures. I have been growing Kefir and it grows well at room temperature. Because dairy products are not evolutionarily correct foods, Kefir should be grown on non-dairy foods such as soya milk or coconut milk and who knows what else! Start off with one litre of soya milk in a jug, add the Kefir sachet and within about 12-24 hours it should have semi-solid, junket like consistency. Do not expect it to look like commercial yoghurt, which has often been thickened artificially. Then keep the culture in the fridge, where it ferments further. This slower fermentation seems to improve the texture and flavour. However, it can be used at once as a substitute in any situation where you would otherwise use cream or custard. I often add a lump of creamed coconut which further feeds the Kefir, imparts a delicious coconut flavour and thickens the culture. Once the jug is nearly empty, add another litre of soya milk, stir it in, keep it at room temperature and away you go again. I don’t even bother to wash up the jug – the slightly hard yellow bits on the edge I just stir in to restart the brew. This way a sachet of Kefir lasts for life! One idea I am playing with is the possibility of adding vitamins and minerals to the culture. The idea here is that they may be incorporated into the bacteria and thereby enhance the absorption of micronutrients. You could try this if you do not tolerate supplements well.

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