Re: Re: Yogurt Confusion

[Guest guest]

I think we all want to find the best temp because we want all the good bacteria we can get and not just settle for some. Here is an email I saved from pecanbread moderator. Mine comes out good room temp or higher but I feel better with the lower temp knowing that some strains start lower. It matters which starter you use also, I think. Katy

List Members:Please note that the website contains the incorrect temperature for the coolingof milk prior to adding yogurt starter. We have discussed this offlist and theinstructions on the website will be taken down shortly and replaced with theproper directions/yogurt making recipe.On the website it states that the milk should be cooled to "108 and 112 degreesF". This temperature range is far too high for the bacteria in the yogurtstarter.The heated milk needs to be cooled to ROOM TEMPERATURE or below (as per Elaine'syogurt making instructions in BTVC). The range for room temperature is 20�25�C (64-77 �F).Details about cooling the milk to room temperature before adding yogurt starter:1.Yogurt starter should be kept refrigerated or in freezer (as per yourstarter's instructions). If the bacteria in the yogurt starter are added at toohigh a temperature they can go into thermal shock and be damaged or die. Sincewe need to ferment the milk fully you want to start with a full batch ofhealthy, lively bacteria. When the milk is cooled to room temperature it allowsthem to gradually acclimatize to the temperature change. (It is similar to whenyou are adding a new pet fish to your fish tank. You place the bag with thefish in the tank to allow the water temperatures to even out and when they arethe same you let the fish out of the bag.).2. Some of the bacteria in the yogurt starters have fairly low, optimum growthranges. Lactobacillus casei, one of the strains in Progurt, has a lowtemperature range. Cooling the milk to room temperature before adding thisstarter will allow the L. casei to do it's part in fermenting the milk intoyogurt.3. Commercial yogurt making and the usual recipes for making yogurt differ fromthe SCD 24-hour yogurt recipe. We need all of the bacteria to survive for the24-hour period. Commercial and home yogurt recipes generally ferment the milkfor only 4-8 hours. If they kill off some of the bacteria because of highercool temperatures it won't matter, as they don't want a fully fermented yogurt(a fully fermented yogurt is more acidic and tart). They ferment the milk longenough for the milk to "set up" and if a few bacteria were killed initiallythey'd still have enough to cause coagulation (the gelling of the milk). Forcommercial makers of yogurt it saves them time and money to only cool to ~108�F;it means they can produce many more batches of yogurt and make more money. TheSCD yogurt takes longer but the 24-hour fermentation period provides SCD yogurtwith extremely high numbers of good bacteria.Sheila, SCD Feb. 2001, UC 22yrsPecanbread moderator

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[Guest guest]

Thanks for this, Katy. From what I can ascertain then, the consensus would be a room temp of 20-25 C which is 64-77 F. What's adding confusion (I can only speak for myself here!) is comments re: "Elaine said 77 and that's a Canadian temperature". 77 F equates 20-25 C. Any way you "slice" it, it's the same temp. range, anywhere on the globe! Canada measures in C, not F, not E's 77 degree F is not "Canadian" per se. Again, 77 degrees is "universal". So! My next question is, does this range meet the criteria for all the yogurt starters? I use the Yogourmet brand starter. -Debra

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[Guest guest]

So a sink full of ice or a cooler full wouldn't help bring the temperature down fast if you used a thermometer?

At 05:49 PM 2/6/2008, you wrote:

Again, 77 degrees is " universal " .Room temperature in New Orleans is around 80-85F was my point. Unless, of course, I want to rack up a $500 electric bill running the air conditioner to get the house temperature down to the temperature " room temperature " is regularly in many parts of Canada.

— Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

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