Ideal Water PH level for making Kefir

[Guest guest]

Marilyn,

The water we drink, that comes out of our wells, faucets, or bottled water,

comes in a wide variety of pH levels. Most water is probably slightly alcaline,

at a pH of 7.2 or higher, but could be slightly acidic. I aim for my drinking

water to be more alcaline. PH level is very critical for " growing things " , and I

just want to find out where the WKGs would be happiest. Several instructions

online, as well as the ones that I received with my WKGs, call for adding a

lemon slice for lowering the pH, among other things. Just what pH level do we

want to lower it to? Do we want to lower it, so the liquid becomes acidic? How

much acidic?

I've been searching like an obsessed woman, and imagine my confustion when I

found statements like:

" the Kangen water won't be recommended as it has too high pH . " --- Well -

Kangen like water systems can usually be adjusted to a pH ranging from 7.0

(neutral) to 10.0. Which of these is considered too high???

" use a pinch of bicarbonate soda to get the water pH right " --- very specific

:-( bicarbonate soda (baking soda) makes water more alcaline ( raises pH level).

J ust tell me what the " right " pH level is, which I'm supposed to raise it to,

duuuh!

" you can use about 1/8-1/4 cup of the kefir from the last batch as your

'acidic' ph lowering tool " ---- ahh, now I'm supposed to lower it again, still

no reference to the correct pH level.

use " Organic Lemon/Lime: This acts as a pH regulator so your water kefir doesn't

get wildly acidic . " ---- so here, we use the lemon/lime to raise the pH level,

ok, so I assume now that (too) acidic is not good either, but what is the

correct level?

" it is very important to use the lemon or other acidic fruit like grapefruit.

This is for the safety factor of those drinking the finished beverage as the pH

of 3.0 to 4.6 is desired. " ---- aaahhh, now we know what the pH level range of

the finished product should be, but still no reference as to what level we

should start out with. I suspect the ph level changes during the fermentation

process.

Finally:

" Hard water [water with high mineral content], such as spring water seems best.

If such water-type is not available, the addition of 1/8 teaspoon of Sodium

bicarbonate added per 2 litres [8 cups] of purified water, ensures good grain

growth. Water adjusted to pH 7.2 to 7.5 with Sodium bicarbonate [slightly

alkaline] gives good results in regards to good grain growth .

Now at last we know. 1/8tsp of sodium bicarbonate per 2 liters will only work

for you if your water had the same starting pH level as the writer's. At least

now I can test the starting and finished product, and will no longer be lying

awake at night, wondering about finding the right answer to this burning

question. ;-) Am I the only one who has wondered about this?

My WKGs have been making kefir very nicely, but I have noticed that they don't

seem to multiply lately and they don't seem as big and plump as they were in the

beginning, thus this quest.

Marina

Hi Marina,

I don't know about lowering the pH for water kefir. Mine does great using

well water, cane juice crystals and sucanat. But this I do know...when you

make kombucha it is very important to use a cup or two from the previous

batch to lower the pH so it doesn't go moldy on you. That doesn't seem to

apply to water kefir. I've never had it go moldy.

Marilyn

Marina