4 yogurt questions...

[Guest guest]

1. I have read somewhere what the pH is supposed to be after 24 hours. But I

cannot find

the reference anymore. I checked mine with a pH meter and it is 4.6 Is that

correct? What

is the correct range?

2. I am using the Yougourmet culture starter that contains skim milk powder,

sucrose,

acsorbic acid, L. Bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus. My understanding

is that the

" illegal " ingredients do get transformed and digested by the bacteria. Is this

right? Am I

using the recommended cultures?

3. It mentions on the envelope to use 1 package of culture starter for 1 liter

of milk.

Therefore one would need to use 2 packets for a 2 liters batch. I question the

validity of

this since we do not make a 6 hours fermentation but instead let the yogurt go

for a full

24 hours. Why not use only one packet and let the yogurt go 26 hours for

example. The 2

hours extra would allow the bacteria to reach the maximum density even if we

only started

with one packet. Does that make sense? Or should I always stay with using 2

packets

anyway just because it says so on the package. I looked on different SCD

websites and did

not see a clear answer.

4. I have a question about refrigerating it for 2 to 8 hours (different times

written on

different websites) before considering it is ready. Why would it be not OK to

eat some of it

immediately when it is warm after 24 hours? What happens with the refrigeration?

Is it to

get a better texture? Is it because some fermenting still goes on while in the

refrigerator?

In other words is it for cosmetic reasons or health benefits?

Thanks