How To Store Kefir Grains:Freezing and Dehydrate Milk Kefir

Having a backup is usually a good idea, right? You never know when you’ll need kefir grains, therefore this is also true with them. You can later regret never having made the backup or be happy that you did! You hold it.

After making kefir for a time, you will eventually have more grains than you know what to do with. ” is one of the most often asked questions we get. After you have enough grains, I suggest that you always keep a backup supply of grains on hand, either frozen or dried. Then, you may still salvage something by just grabbing your spares in case you unintentionally lose your grains.
Grain may be long-term stored using one of two processes, and the results will last for around a year. It’s advisable to change your backup grains every year to prevent them from becoming unviable since after that, the failure rate rises when you try to restore the grains.

WAYS TO DRY OUT OR DEHYDRATE GRAINS.

Drying kefir (the same technique may be used to water or milk grains)
Tools required:
** Three ironed tea towels (to ensure no renegade germs or other contaminants are hiding in there, they must have been recently cleaned and ironed for a considerable amount of time). or greaseproof paper. ** Grains (water or milk) ** Freezer bags with a zipper or something similar

• Give a few of your grains a thorough washing in filtered, non-chlorinated water.
• Squeeze them gently to extract as much moisture as you can from them by placing them in one of the ironed tea towels (but only
• lightly! It is not desired to crush or harm the grains.
• Spread out the grains carefully on a plate or other level surface using a freshly ironed tea towel. To distribute any clusters as
• thinly as possible, try to smooth them out.
• Over the top of the grains, place the second ironed tea towel.
• Allow them to air dry in a location where contamination is unlikely to occur. Ideally, this should be away from busy areas of your house, such as kitchens and laundry rooms, unless you can store them in a cupboard. Temperature extremes in the room should be avoided as they will impact the drying process of the grains.
• Usually, the drying process takes three to five days. Water grains often dry more slowly than milk grains. When dried, the milk grains will have significantly shrunk and will have a much brighter yellow color than the water grains, which will resemble brown sugar or sand.

After the grains are completely dry, place them in the zip-lock bag, remove as much air as you can, and store them in a cold, dry place.

Kefir Grains—both milk and water—can be frozen.

Freezing extra kefir grains is one way to keep them fresh for up to two months. Rinse the grains with preboiled, cooled water to ensure optimal freezing. To get rid of extra moisture, pat dry the grains in between chilled white towels that have been pre-ironed. Pack the grains into a plastic bag or jar, seal it, and store it in the freezer. When it comes to milk grains, add enough dried milk powder (DMP) to thoroughly cover the grains. Seal the jar or bag, and freeze.

To avoid freezer burn, DMP is used with the milk kefir grains as a cryoprotectant. While I have discovered that kefir grains may be kept alive using this approach for up to a year, it should be noted that this length of time may eliminate the yeast component present in healthy kefir grains [if frozen for more than two months, but not precisely].

Due to this possibility, it is recommended to freeze kefir grains for a maximum of two months as previously mentioned. It is advised to wait no more than one month before freezing milk kefir grains if DMP is not used. If not, the yeast component of the kefir grains might be harmed, particularly if there is constant partial thawing and freezing as a result of a subpar freezer mechanism.

It should be noted that adding fresh milk or any other liquid with kefir grains intended for freezing may cause many of the organisms to burst, which will kill the organisms during the freezing process. This is because at a freezing point, or 0 degrees Celsius, water expands.

Turning Back Up the Kefir Grain

These grains for milk kefir came from the same batch. For two months, the grains on the left were frozen, and for six months, the grains on the right were dried. These take place under comparable cultural contexts one-month following reconstitution. In contrast to the grains on the right, take note of how nicely the frozen grains have reconstituted.

Restoring Kefir Grain in the Freezer

Thaw frozen kefir grains by submerging them in a glass of cold water for a few minutes to reawaken them. After placing the grains in a strainer, use cold water to remove any powdered milk that may have stuck to them. They are now prepared for action and response, hehe.

At this point, add fresh milk to the grains in a volumetric ratio of 1: 3 (i.e., 1/2 cup milk to 2 tablespoons of grains). Whether the milk has coagulated or not, strain the milk every 24 hours and replace the grains in the jar with new milk. Your kefir grains have recovered if, within 24 hours of fermentation, the milk fully coagulates. The milk should smell clean and sour at this stage, maybe with a hint of new yeast. This can need a week or more in some situations. You may raise the amount of milk to one cup and then to half a cup after each batch, until you are satisfied with the amount of kefir that is made. Don’t raise the amount of milk again until the grains have had a full day to ferment the previous increase. Depending on several variables, including the temperature and the activity of the grains themselves, as well as how much you increased the milk, this might take two to seven batches.

Dehydrated Kefir Grains: Reactivating

First, put the dried kefir grains in a container and add a glass of fresh milk to rehydrate the grains. After straining that batch of milk, activate by regenerating it every day, regardless of whether it has coagulated or not. This milk should not be consumed until it releases a clear, sour scent. Dry grain reconstitution may happen in four days or, under extreme circumstances, up to one and a half weeks. Your grains are ready to go again when the milk begins to coagulate in less than a day and smells clean and sour with a touch of new yeast!

Observations Upon reactivating dried kefir grains, the milk will undergo various peculiar phases in terms of look and scent over the first few days. At first, there will be a lot of friendly yeast activity in the milk, as seen by the formation of froth or foam on the milk’s surface. After three to five days, yeast activity may peak and then decrease as subsequent batches are cultivated. Kefir grains may naturally attain this equilibrium between the yeast and bacteria components in their microflora when they are grown in successive batches. This might take a week or two.

• In some instances, the growth rate of kefir grains can not become noticeable until the third week or beyond. With each subsequent batch, the color of the grains should get whiter.
• After the fourth week, any yellow or yellow-pink-brown grains without an elastic quality should be taken out of the batch. The length, storage conditions, and dehydration technique all affect how much of these non-propagable grains develop.

When non-proliferate grains are crushed between two clean fingers, they crumble and resemble Cheddar cheese. Gently pressing a propagable grain between clean fingertips reveals that it is white, elastic, and somewhat slimy [Kefiran].

Check  Out  This Article Benefits of kefir 

The Advantages of Safe Storage

Devoting time and energy to properly storing kefir grains has several beneficial benefits.

Maintenance of Probiotic Characteristics

Kefir grains retain the integrity of the probiotics they create when they are stored under ideal circumstances. This is important for those who want to consistently ferment their kefir to get the advantages of probiotics for gut health.

Cost-Effectiveness

Kefir grains have a longer shelf life, so you may avoid paying more for probiotic pills or fresh cultures. using nothing more than routine care and storage upkeep, you can keep an active culture going using long-term preservation techniques.

Easy accessibility

Kefir grains are easy to prepare when they are kept in storage and available whenever needed. Because of its ease of use, you’ll be more inclined to include kefir in your regimen without worrying about the time commitment that comes with maintaining live cultures.

Conclusion

The importance of proper kefir grain storage cannot be overstated. Whether your goal is to enjoy the beverage’s health benefits, maintain an active supply for culinary exploration, or share the culture with others, effective storage is the foundation of a successful kefir-making endeavor. By understanding the nature of kefir grains, exploring various storage methods, and implementing strategies for long-term maintenance, you can ensure the freshness and longevity of your kefir grains for years to come.

Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of how to store kefir grains, it’s time to put this knowledge into practice. Take the necessary steps to preserve your kefir culture, and may each glass of kefir you make be a testament to your commitment to health and home fermentation adventures.