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KEFIR GRAINS
Although milk kefir grains and water kefir grains share some similarities, they differ significantly in their structure, microbial composition, and the environments in which they thrive. Each type of grain feeds on different nutrients and produces a distinct fermented beverage. Despite these differences, both produce beverages rich in beneficial bacteria and yeasts that can support digestive and overall health.
Water Kefir Grains
- Transform Sugar Water into Water Kefir
- Water kefir grains—often called tibicos—are soft, translucent granules that contain a natural blend of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Unlike milk kefir grains, they grow and multiply in sweet liquids. Commonly used to ferment sugar water, fruit juices, or coconut water, they rely on simple sugars like sucrose as their primary source of nourishment.
- Water kefir grains are nearly transparent, soft, and jelly-like. They resemble small crystals. Can vary in size.
How to activate dried water kefir grains?
1.
Dissolve 30g sugar (use ½ of unrefined sugar) in 300ml non-chlorinated water.
2.
Add kefir grains.
3.
Cover and ferment (20-24°C) for 3-4 days.
4.
Strain and repeat the first 3 steps (5-7 times) until there are signs of activity. But ferment for only 2 days.
Water Kefir Recipe:
- Activated water kefir grains.
- 600ml water (non-chlorinated).
- 30g sugar.
Dissolve sugar in room temperature water. Add kefir grains and cover. Ferment (20-24°C) for 24-48 hrs. Strain the kefir and use the grains for the next batch. Water kefir is ready to be consumed or to second ferment.
Milk Kefir Grains
- Transform Milk into Milk Kefir
- Milk kefir grains are small, white, cauliflower-like clusters made up of a mix of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. These living cultures contain proteins, natural sugars, and microorganisms that work together in fermentation. They thrive in milk, where the bacteria break down lactose into simpler compounds like lactic acid, glucose, and galactose. These compounds, in turn, provide nourishment for the yeasts, which cannot process lactose on their own. This makes lactose the key energy source for milk kefir grains.
- Milk kefir grains are white, soft, and rubbery to the touch, with a cauliflower-like appearance. They vary in size and grow but are typically small clumps or clusters.
How to activate dried milk kefir grains?
1.
Add milk kefir grains to 100ml milk.
2.
Ferment 24 hrs (20-24°C). After 12 hrs stir gently.
3.
After 24 hrs strain with fine mesh sieve.
4.
Repeat the first 3 steps 5-7 times. Start using 200ml of milk when grains show activity (souring, thickening). Once the milk ferments into kefir, the grains are ready to use.
Milk Kefir Recipe:
- Activated milk kefir grains,
- 600ml milk
Add milk kefir grains to milk and cover. Ferment for 24 hrs (20-24°C). Strain the kefir and use the grains for the next batch. Milk kefir is ready to be consumed or to second ferment. *Dehydrated milk kefir grains can be smaller in size. It’s better to use a finer mesh for straining in the first few weeks, until the grains grow.
See answers to the FAQ about kefir grains below.
How to
Traditionally, kefir cultures were shared among family and friends. Kefir grains are growing with every new batch and sooner or later people had abundance of cultures that they gave away. Nowadays, many companies are selling the grains since the demand exceeds supply.
Sharing is caring!
We have established a platform on Kefirhood.com where everyone can easily search and share cultures among other fermented food enthusiasts.
We produce quality ORGANIC cultures: fresh and dehydrated milk kefir grains and fresh and dehydrated water kefir grains.
Milk kefir
The proper ratio between the grains and milk is important, when making milk kefir. Kefirko Kefir Maker is equipped with a measuring cup in the top lid and tactile markings on the outside of the jar. Measure the grains first: for one serving fill the measuring cup with the grains up to the first mark for one serving, or up to the top (approx. 6 g) for two servings or full Kefirko Kefir Maker.
Water kefir
The proper ratio between the grains and water is important, when making water kefir. With a full strainer lid of tibicos grains (approx 30 g) you can prepare 0.6 l of water kefir.
Water and milk kefir grains:
Firstly you should avoid all the things written above (why my grains are not growing). Kefir grains are a live culture and it’s ok to leave them to grow at their own pace. If you are still not satisfied with the speed your grains grow at, you can try different things.
Shake/stir the grains during fermentation so you can encourage more milk gets in contact with the grains.
Enable optimal and consistent temperature around 20-25 degrees celsius.
Milk kefir grains
Smaller grains grow faster because they have bigger areas in contact with their feed.
Use wholefat milk that ensures more food for the grains.
Adding some powder milk to increase lactose amount in milk.
Water kefir grains
Use sugared water instead fruit juice to help them multiply.
Give your grains mineral-rich environment (water, raisins or sugar can help) but prevent over-mineralization. Adding mineral supplements like concentrace can also be a way to encourage grains growth.
Get milk or water kefir grains
Always follow the instructions from the manufacturer when you’re buying kefir grains. Usually it takes a few batches for grains to acclimatise to your environment and ingredients.
Activation of grains
When you got the grains as a gift or someone from sharing communities like Kefirhood send them to you, you should activate the grains too. Make sure to ask the person who gave you the grain for as much information regarding the fermentation of these grains in the past as you can. What kind of milk/water was used? What temperature they were fermented on? How often were they fermented? For how long were they inactive.This will help you acclimatize the grains faster. Try copying the information with your fermentation as much as you can at the beginning. If you want to make some changes (use coconut milk instead of cow etc.) do that a bit later, when grains become fully active and do it slowly not to shock the grains.
You can either prepare a new batch of kefir or store the kefir grains for a period of time. If you want to store your extra milk kefir grains, put them in a small jar and add some milk (for a shorter period – up to 7 days) or add water with a pinch of sugar (for a longer period – up to 2 months) and store the sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Kefir grains consist of proteins, polysaccharides and a mixture of several types of microorganisms, such as yeasts and aroma and lactic-acid forming bacteria proven highly beneficial to humans.
Milk kefir or búlgaros is a result of the inoculation of milk with milk kefir grains.
Prepare milk kefir …
We use milk kefir grains to make milk kefir and water kefir grains to make water kefir. The milk kefir grains are small white blobs that look a lot like cauliflower florets.
… or water kefir!
Water kefir, also known as tibicos, is a result of the inoculation of sugary water with tibicos (water kefir grains). To make water kefir we need a bit more of water kefir grains than milk kefir grains. The grains are translucent and crystal-like in appearance.
To prepare kefir we need live kefir grains. But to allow storage and easier transport, grains are sometimes dehydrated or freeze-dried. We have to activate these grains before you can prepare kefir with them.
Dehydrated kefir grains
Dehydrated kefir grains are dried with dehydrator and being left dormant. It’s easy to store dehydrated grains in the cool space, fridge or freezer for longer periods. Dehydrated grains are also easier to transfer, ship for longer distances. To start using them again you have to follow the manufacturer instructions for re-hydration. Usually it takes a few batches until your grains are active enough to produce kefir.
Freeze-dried grains
Freeze-dried grains have the same benefits as dehydrated grains regarding storing and shipping. You need to re-activate the grains by manufacturer’s instructions before making kefir with them.
To make grains freeze-dried they go through a special procedure called lyophilization or freeze-drying that preserves biological material by removing the water, it involves first freezing then drying at a very low temperatures. Many microorganisms survive the freeze-drying well and the culture will be easily reactivated and grown after longer periods of storage.
An activation period is necessary every time that grains are left without food. This may happen for different reasons:
- dehydrated grains,
- grains were stored in a fridge for a short period or frozen,
- grains were sent by mail.
Dehydrated milk kefir grains: milk kefir grains
Activation time depends on how long the grains were without food. Usually, it takes 7-14 days to activate milk kefir grains. When you decide to activate kefir grains, put them in lukewarm milk. Try using the same milk that was used before (cow, sheep, goat). Change the milk every 24 hours and gently wash the grains when changing the milk. You can stop washing the grains after the 3rd or 4th batch. Keep changing the milk until the grains are activated, that is when they start producing kefir. This can happen very quickly but sometimes can take up to 2 weeks if the grains were stored for a very long time.
Other / Troubleshooting
Give away your extras!
Kefir grains are constantly growing and multiplying and it is common practice to share your extras with others. Measure the grains periodically by using the measuring cup and give your extras to other kefir fermenters.
There can be many reasons why the growth of your grains is slower or non-existent. Here are some possible reasons for that:
The fermentation is too long
If you make more consecutive longer fermentation, the grains might starve. When grains don’t get enough food for longer periods, they won’t grow.
The temperature is too low
Slower temperatures are slowing down the fermentation and the growth of grains. It’s best to leave the grains on optimal temperature and not changing it all the time, that puts stress on the grains and they will not grow.
The milk is not providing enough food for the grains
We recommend using full fat fresh organic milk to enable enough food for grains to grow. You can prepare milk kefir with raw or pasteurized milk but avoid over-pasteurized milks.
Get kefir grains here:Cultures
If you notice your grains going a bit slimy you should not be alarmed. Your kefir grains have not gone bad. This is a natural thing that occurs when making kefir. This slime is actually a complex sugar or polysaccharide, called also kefiran.
1. After washing the grains, place them in a small plastic zip bag. For 1 tsp of grains use 3 tbsp of cold water.
2. Add a pinch of sugar. Push out as much air as you can and close the bag.
3. Put bag with kefir grains in one or two more plastic bags. It’s now ready for shipping.
4. For more safety you can use mail with air bubble protection. With these techniques kefir grains will stay alive for about two weeks for sure.
Sometimes the kefir grains are small from the start, other times it’s just parts of the bigger grains that separate. There is nothing wrong with small grains, as long as they produce good kefir. If you are worried that you will lose the grains, try straining them through smaller slots until they grow bigger.
The grains don’t need to be washed.
