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Kefir making.
by Egon Skovmose on Thursday, November 28, 2002
In November 1881 the German naturalist Eduard Kern reported to Botanic Society in St. Petersburg about a mysterious beverage, which was exclusive common to the higher regions of the Caucasus and said to assure the inhabitants of this area good health and a very long life expectancy.
This beverage is kefir, a fermented milk product whose particular features is that in addition to lactic fermentation it also undergoes alcoholic fermentation caused by the presence of yeast, which yields this sourish, yeasty, sparkling, refreshing end product.
Kefir is not only a very valuable tasty, physiologically nutritional milk product it is said to be a “miracle” product.
Research conducted by East European institutes has proven that there is something to the reputation of kefir. In Rumania where research has been carried out by Professor Dr. Asian on the causes of old age, the effect of kefir on prolonging life is being studied. According to gerontologist at the Genatric Centre of Suchumi (former USSR) the importance of kefir has not yet been completely recognized. The general opinion is that the life-prolonging effect is to be attributed to certain components of the kefir grains.
Moreover, kefir seems to have a stabilizing and, to some extent a youth-preserving effect on the human organism, but only if one’s entire diet is completely altered and the kefir is not only consumed as a side-dish, a snack or a dessert. When following the kefir diet recommendations developed in Rumania, one’s organism re-adjust within six months.
The functioning of liver, gallbladder, circulation, heart activity, metabolism, oxygen supply to the cells, blood circulation to the brain improves and stabilizes. Also so-called senility does not occur or is even reversed and the elasticity of the blood vessels and joints is restored. Rheumatism and coronary thrombosis do not stand a chance if a special kefir diet is followed: between the ages of 25 and 30 at the latest 20 g of kefir should be consumed twice a day. Numerous scientific tests are being performed to determine the effect of kefir especially in Eastern Europe.
Originally Kefir beverage was obtained by adding the so-called grains to fresh milk and then incubating them at 18 - 24º C for approx. 24 hours. The origin of Kefir grains themselves is unknown. To date it has not been possible to simulate the spontaneous formation of kefir grains using single isolates of kefir flora. New kefir grains can only be obtained from propagating and dividing of existing kefir grains.
Kefir grains are composed of denatured protein and polysaccharides in which specific kefir organisms are embedded. Before this beverage is consumed, the grains are removed with a sieve and can be reused for the further production of kefir.
Kefir grains have a limited shelf-life if they are not regularly kept in fresh milk. This problem has made the production of kefir on a large scale very difficult.
Danisco Cultor products now include the cultures Kefir C1 Fermovac ® 5000 and Kefir C2 Fermovac ® 5000 in deep frozen form, which show all the typical characteristics of the original Caucasian Kefir grains. Disadvantages, which occur during the use of kefir grains, regarding preservation and handling do not appear during the deployment of Danisco cultures.
http://www.danlac.com/store/index.asp?category=1&product_id=93
http://www.danlac.com/store/index.asp?category=4&product_id=85
Characteristic composition of kefir flora.
The literary data and opinion on this subject differ.
But the following is accepted in unanimity.
1. Lactic acid bacteria.
1.1 Mesophilic lactococci Lactococcus lactic subsp. Lactis
Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris
Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacitylactis
1.2 Leuconostoc spp, mainly Leuconostoc mesenteriodes subsp. cremoris
1.3 Lactobacillus spp. mainly Lactobacillus kefyr
Lactobacillus brevis
Lb. casei
2. Yeast
2.1 Lactose fermenting, mainly Candida Kefir
2.2 Not lactose fermenting, mainly Saccharomyces unisporus
Saccharomyces florentinus
Among others Saccharomyces spp.
Guidelines for Cheese, type Emmental
by Egon Skovmose on Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Guidelines for
Cheese, type Emmental
45 % fat in dry matter
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raw material vat milk, approx. 3.0 - 3.2 % fat
heating to renneting temperature 31 ± 1 °C
Inoculation:
0.5 % (0.2 - 1 %) bulk starter out of St. therm H
+ 1 x Lb. helveticus 7 Visbyvac® DIP 10u per 500-1000 l milk
+ 1 x Bioprofit Visbyvac® DIP 10u per 500-1000 l milk
preripening 15 - 30 min to pH 6.55 ± 0.05
to °SH 6.90 ± 0.2
incubation 100 - 150 ml of the strength 1:15 000 per 1000 l process milk
coagulation coagulation time 20 min ± 3 min
setting time 30 min ± 5 min
cutting of curd 10 + 5 min, wheat corn size
stirring pH before washing: 6.45 ± 0.05 °SH before washing: 4.4 ± 0.2
drawing off whey 15 - 20 %
adding water 15 - 20 %
scalding 30 - 40 min, 50 - 55 °C
stirring 25 - 40 min
drawing off whey 10 - 25 %
filling into
moulds
pressing
0.3 - 0.4 bar, 20 min
0.4 - 0.5 bar, 1 h
0.5 - 0.6 bar, 20 - 24 h
immersing pH before salt brine 5.25 ± 0.05
in brine bath
2 - 3 days
18 - 20 °Bé, 10 - 16 °C
ripening
14 - 16 d at 13 - 16 °C 75 - 85 % rF
4 - 8 weeks at 22 - 24 °C 85 - 90 % rF
(until desired eye formation is attained)
storage 3 - 6 months at 12 - 14 °C 85 - 90 % rF cheese has to be cleaned and washed, possibly salted,
twice a week
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Production of bulk starter
medium 50 kg Vis Start TW 50 + 950 l water
heating at 90 - 95 °C for approx. 30 min
cooling to 44 °C
inoculation 1 x St. therm. H Visbyvac® B 1000 / 500 - 1000 l
incubation at 44 °C in 7 h to pH 4.6 ± 0.10
cooling to 4 - 8 °C
stacking for a maximum of 2 days at 4 - 8 °C
The data indicated in these process guidelines are empirical values closely connected with the application of our cultures. They should be considered only as guidelines since technological changes may be necessary depending on the quality of milk, technology and desired product composition and properties. Furthermore we cannot guarantee that these process guidelines consider every national law and do not break any patent rights of third parties.
Danisco Cultor Niebüll GmbH / Busch-Johannsen-Str. 1 /
D - 25899 Niebüll
Tel.: +49 4661 602-0
Fax: +49 4661 602-345 Emmental BK 2/2
draft: STT
date: 27.11.2002 checked: DKU
date: 27.11.2002
Colouring and de-colouring agents for cheese
by Egon Skovmose on Monday, November 18, 2002
COLOURING AGENTS:
Colours fluctuate in cheese as it does in butter due to seasonal and feed variations. High fat cheeses are more highly pigmented than low fat, as most colouring agents are absorbed in the fat.
The coloring agents for cheese are dissolved in a base - often potash - which fastens itself to casein, while butter-coloring agents are dissolved in vegetable oil. Too much of a red colour or yellow colour can be a defect.
Aniline colour was used for cheese, but is not used today, because it is prohibited for butter, cheese and other dairy products.
Saffran colour, which is extracted from dried crocus, gives a light yellow colour tone and has been, used some for special cheeses such as Emmentaler and Parmesan cheese.
Carotene colour is a natural colouring agent in milk, which in the organism is transformed to vitamin A. It has for a long time been used to some extent as butter colour, and there are now excellent carotene colors, which give cheese a yellow colour tone.
Cheese colour should in all cases have the right colour tone and a constant strength. If it gets cloudy in light it should be stored in a coloured container, in a dark place.
The necessary amount of colour, which varies with the season, cheese types and fat percentages, should be measured in a cylinder and mixed into the milk before rennet is added. The whole cylinder should be dipped into the milk and stirred in until the colour is emptied out. Watch that the colour does not float on top of the milk, as then it is difficult to mix it in properly.
For Havarti and Esrom approximately 1 g. of weak colour per 100-kg milk, for Maribo 1-3 g. depending on season and fat content are used. In winter 1/2 - 1 g. more colour per 100 kg cheesemilk are added than in summer.
De-colouring agents are used in Europe with Danablue, Feta, Akawi, Nabulsi, Kefalotiri, Kashkaval and similar cheeses. These cheeses are manufactured from strongly coloured cows' milk, but compete with cheese manufactured from sheep milk, which gives a nearly white cheese mass. The typical decolouring agent used, is a green blue chlorophyll colour, which gives a lighter colour tone, complementary to milk's yellow colour.
In milk, the following complementary colour system works:
Milk colour
Green yellow
White
Blue red
To get a white (light) colour, the colour has to be very weak, and the more colour we mix together of the different colours, the darker the end result.
Other Methods for De-colouring (check your local regulations before using any of these):
Titandioxyd
Titandioxyd is used in some cases in the manufacture of Mozzarella cheese.
By adding titandioxyd to Feta cheese and similar cheese, they will become lighter in colour. By gradual addition of titandioxyd to cream before homogenizing, the amount is usually 5-10 gm. per 100 litters cheesemilk, which results in acceptable whiteness.
Also Brilliant blue is used ¼ teaspoon in one gallon of potable water for 50,000 Liter (approx. 13,210 gal.). Mix in well before adding rennet.
Available from Danlac as a special order (not available in our web store)
Benzoyl Peroxide
The addition of benzoylperoxide is used in USA for the bleaching of fat in the manufacture of blue cheese.
Benzoyl peroxide is a strong oxidation agent, which is very explosive in pure form. A 16% mixture with calcium sulphate and magnium carbonate is used.
It can only be used in relatively small amounts, as it destroys the carotine content in cream as well as giving a tallow taste. In practice the bleaching is done by adding the benzoyl peroxide as a liquid suspension to a 30% cream and immediately after addition heating the cream to 50 - 60°C maintaining that temperature for up to 2 hours.
Removal of Colouring Agents
It is possible to remove the yellow colour (carotene) from butterfat. Separating fat as butteroil and then adding bleaching soil or bleaching carbon, as these will absorb carotene can do this.
This is used in manufacturing of edible oils. One can also subject butteroil to a strong heat treatment, by which the carotene is destroyed.
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