Are Water Kefir And Milk Kefir Grains Different
Water kefir is also a lighter beverage and can be flavored any number of ways.
Are water kefir and milk kefir grains different. Milk kefir grains are a combination of live bacteria and yeasts that exist in a symbiotic matrix on a surface of a complex polysaccharide with a casein core. If you ve ever tried to use water kefir grains to ferment milk you may have come to this realization. Milk kefir is intended more as a type of food. It makes an nutritious fizzy drink alternative to soda.
Both are delicious and have many health benefits. In addition to being completely free of lactose. There are only 10 15 strains of good bacteria and good yeasts in water kefir versus 50 in basic homemade milk kefir made with live grains or with easy kefir. The good thing.
It really depends on what i m in the mood for but. Milk kefir a probiotic beverage is fairly well known and can be found in many grocery stores. There are two different types of kefir. Water kefir is another probiotic rich beverage.
Water kefir which has a yellowish clear crystal colour depending on the sugar they have been fed and milk kefir which has a white creamy cauliflower type appearance. Since milk kefir grains feed on lactose kefir is perfect for individuals who are colon sensitive and lactose intolerant. They are soft and rubbery milky nodules that you put in milk in order to make kefir. It contains different strains of bacteria to milk kefir.
However water kefir is dairy free. I drink milk kefir every day and water kefir i drink more in the summertime holidays and special occasions. Kefir grains are clumps of live kefir bacteria colonies of yeast and bacteria held together by kefirin a polysaccharide substance. Since converting milk kefir grains to water kefir grains is often a tricky and unpredictable process you may also consider making water kefir from new water kefir grains.
I can t tell you how many emails i ve received over the years from folks trying to ferment milk into kefir with water kefir grains they got from a friend or vice versa only to find themselves frustrated with repeated failure or inconsistent results. At this point the grains have been converted into water kefir grains. Water kefir is also dairy free the water kefir has fewer calories less saturated fat fewer carbohydrates and proteins than milk kefir. This means the community of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts can be highly variable in batches of kefir cultured in different places by.
Milk kefir grains are used specifically to culture milk. Another option to consider. Check out the charts below to see the good bacteria and yeast in water kefir and milk kefir. There are two varieties of kefir grains.
Continue culturing for 24 48 hours per batch. Water kefir is more versatile than milk kefir and you can add lemon and different kinds of fruit or vegetables to the mixture. It is safe and nutritious. Water kefir also known as tibicos is made from water sugar and water kefir grains.
Both starter and grains contain several different strains of bacteria which working together turn milk into delicious kefir. Traditionally dairy milk is used but vegan milks can also be substituted. The obvious difference between water kefir vs milk kefir is that they are used to culture different liquids. Kefir can be taken by all generations from young to old male and female.
Milk kefir grains and water kefir grains are not interchangeable which is why i always recommend obtaining them from reputable sources i list in my healthy shopping guide.