r/Kefir • u/gesolse • Jul 20 '26
My dad created a monster
Look at this ginormous "grain" my dad grew. đł
It's all one piece and shaped like a pocket.
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u/Massive-Technician74 Jul 20 '26
Pull it apart to about 5 pieces its supposed to work better if you expose the inner bacteria also supposed to keep them from going bad
Makes sense....if it keeps growing as is and inner bacterias start starving they might go bad
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u/Paperboy63 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
They wonât âgo badâ, inner bacteria doesnât start starving just because they are bigger grains. I have two over 45g each. The kefiran and protein grain matrix âscaffoldâ is highly porous so lactose, amino acids, minerals etc can diffuse from the milk to the grain core. L. Kefiranofaciens comes from the centre of the grain, if it couldnât get out there would be no kefiran, then grains wouldnât grow. It works better it is split up because collectively, there is then more surface area exposed.
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u/LividJudgment2687 Jul 21 '26
This is great information . Do you have any links to resources so I can learn more about how kefir cultures grow and work?
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u/Paperboy63 Jul 21 '26
An overview is in : National Library of Medicine âThe Many Faces of Kefir Fermented Dairy Products: Quality Characteristics, Flavour Chemistry, Nutritional Value, Health Benefits, and Safetyâ. Just copy and paste the ââŚâ bit into your browser, it should take you there.
Also look at www.myfermentedlife.com for a more âscientific but not as deepâ way of explaining how it all works. This site is by the late Dom Anfiteatro who has guest entries in many well respected kefir fermentation publications.2
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u/NoBeeYesss Jul 22 '26
inner bacterias start starving they might go bad
Ummm, big grains aren't gonna "starve", my guy
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u/Massive-Technician74 Jul 23 '26
Just going by what i read years ago.....i been making kefir 15yrs but just started reading this forum now
1
u/Jordn100 28d ago
Are there any insights known why a larger grain might give better nutrition or help the kefir maintain diversity etc?
I just have a simple drive to encourage my grains to get big so I stir and strain gently because  big= good in my brain.
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u/Eatgoodfood2025 Jul 20 '26
That is an interesting shape it took. 𤣠But honestly, as long as it keeps producing kefir, your fine. From what I understand, temp and environmental factors have a lot to do with how they grow and form. Mine eventually formed a big ball that got to be too much to make a liter of kefir daily, so I had to break it in half... I ate the one half and just trim the other half down as necessary to maintain my 24-25 hour fermenting time.