list of bacteria

[Guest guest]

how many different species are contained in a kefir grain? does the list remain

the same thru extended use in repeated culturings, or are some phased out after

a long time of repeating the culturing process? the kefir in the store says 10

or 12 on the label and some say a good starter has about 50 ~ how many must

kefir have to go by that name?

elaine

[Guest guest]

>

> how many different species are contained in a kefir grain? does the list

remain the same thru extended use in repeated culturings, or are some phased out

after a long time of repeating the culturing process? the kefir in the store

says 10 or 12 on the label and some say a good starter has about 50 ~ how many

must kefir have to go by that name?

> elaine

>

Most of us don't have the money, or the lab equipments to do any such tests. So

much of what you read on the web is more or less reapeating someone else's

" info " , however they got it. No real name, date, specific samples lineage

attached from such test. Even if those info are real and available, it may only

apply to those specific samples.

With people sharing and passing around different samples all around the world,

with conditions varying from regions, nations, temperatures, in-home

environments, different type of milks, what's in the milk (including growth

hormones, anti-biotics, or lack of)... each kefir sample has cultures that will

adapt as well as assimilate air-borne cultures along the way. So they are

similar but not exactly the same.

I think of them as sea corals, they may look similar all around the world's

oceans, but they may have different characteristics depends on where they are

and what's available around them. Fruit trees (or other edible veggetation) can

also be used for comparison, where the fruits can taste very different depends

on the soil, water, weather, regions, even when derived from the same source.

Jimmy