Hello everyone,

As some of you may be aware (I love that opening phrase), I have been
experimenting with culturing kombucha in dairy milk for over 3 years.

I've just updated a section on my kefir site with some recent
experiments regarding a few interesting possibilities regarding the
above.

1) How non propagable kefir grains and kombucha SCOBY  produce a similar
culture-milk product (but not an Authentic kefir)

2) How a kombucha SCOBY has transformed over this period, to begin to
form in a similar fashion as propagable "flat" kefir grains do (they
curl the ends which finally meet to form a self enclosed
bio-structure... how intelligent like!!!)

3) The possibility of how kefir grains came to exist.

This experiment is at 42 months, and is still continuing (I many have to
leave it in my will for others to carry it on or through, after I depart
life on this Earth... if you get my gist :^)

Here is the self explanatory picture:

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/KG-KS-42.jpg

This picture is linked in this section which I quote:

"DO NON-PROPAGABLE KEFIR GRAINS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A REAL
KEFIR?

Some suggestions have been made over the past, suggesting that
non-propagable grains (grain that do not grow or "dead-grains") are able
to retain
kefir-producing capacity, which I personally disagree with. E.g., I've
observed that a Kombucha SCOBY (a mother-culture used in preparing
Kombucha) is able to culture a similar culture-milk beverage as do
non-propagable kefir grains (please see *this experiment at stage 42
months, which
may also suggest the possibility of how kefir grains came to exist).
Would it be fair to suggest that the unique culture-beverage cultured
with the KKH
(explained in the experiment above) is an authentic kefir?... even
though, initially, kefir grains plus a Kombucha SCOBY were used together
(as a
mixed-culture) for the first 30 months to culture a milk-medium which
now produces a product with similar character and properties to
authentic kefir?
I could have replaced the Kombucha SCOBY for pieces of leather hide in
this experiment and I'm sure that the end result (the culture-beverage)
would
be similar as in the experiment above. There is no evidence that
Kefiran, which is the essential component of propagable kefir grains, is
produced by
the microflora colonized within the KKH (or within the fake-leather
parts of my shoes for that matter). The nature of wild microbes is that
they have the
ability to colonies with the structure of "porous materials" (such as
non-propagable kefir grains, Kombucha SCOBY, terra cotta pots, wooden
barrels,
and yes, including leather hide). If Kefiran is not produced due to a
damaged component, in this case, the absence of e.g., Lb.
kefiranofaciens by non
propagable kefir grains, then Kefiran is also absent in the final kefir.
This form of culture-beverage could not be classified as true authentic
kefir; but
more in-line with commercially-prepared pseudo-kefir, cultured with
lab-prepared "pure mixed starter cultures" (i.e. to say the milk is not
cultured with
propagable kefir grains). "

This paragraph is situated on Dom's kefir in-site here:
  http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#kefir-micro-flora

I hope members find this fascinating. Anyone wishing to be disgusted
with me.. oop I meant to type discuss this matter further, then please
feel free to add your say or forward any questions to the list.

I best get some sleep now.. over 3 years open eyed gets quite tiresome.

Bewell,
Dom




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