Product Information
Kefir Starter
Our unique kefir starter makes thick, creamy and absolutely delicious kefir of exceptional quality with unique milder taste, creamy texture and aroma.
If you like kefir then you will love Bacillus Bulgaricus kefir.
Kefir is a healthy super food, made form milk, fermented with lactic acid bacteria cultures, much like yogurt. Some experts claim that consuming kefir has even greater health benefits than those of yogurt because the kefir bacteria remains in your gut longer. One thing is certain though — drinking kefir is good for you, and now, thanks to our kefir culture, it is super tasty and delicious!
Our kefir starter is one of a kind. It makes very thick and creamy kefir of exceptional quality with unique milder taste, creamy texture and aroma.
Kefir
Our Kefir starter makes a mild, thick, creamy and absolutely delicious kefir. So good, that you would want to make it again and again.
This is a reusable kefir starter with live active bacteria, which means that you can reuse kefir from your previous batch to culture your new kefir batch, multiple times.
The packet contains kefir starter, not kefir grains. For more information about the difference between kefir grains and kefir starter, read this article.
Each pack contains loose powder mix, in perfect proportions, of a collection of bacterial strains required to make kefir, amongst which — the ubiquitous lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus.
These beneficial, transient bacteria work together in the fermentation process that turns milk into a naturally sweet, smooth, fresh-tasting, super thick kefir.
The process takes approximately 12-14 hours to complete.
Bacillus Bulgaricus kefir starter is fully natural with no additives, preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. It contains no GMO ingredients and it is gluten free.
Product Details
Type: Heirloom Kefir starter. This means that you can make endless batches of kefir, simply reusing your previously made kefir to start a new batch.
Activity and Strength: 1 gram of starter contains at least 95 billion colony-forming unit (9.5 x 1010 CFU/g) of lactic acid probiotic bacteria strains.
100% potency guaranteed. 100% viability guaranteed.
Ingredients: Live active lactic acid cultures (lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, streptococcus thermophilus, lactobacillus kefir, lactobacillus parakefir, lactobacillus delbueckii ssp. bulgaricus, saccharomyces cerevisiae)
The starter contains nothing more than the strains it is made of and a very small quantity of dried organic skim milk powder. It is the medium on which the strains grow and some of it gets packaged together with them. The milk powder is completely consumed by the bacteria during incubation so there is none of it in the finished product. See some more information about our lactose free and vegan starters.
Contents: This is an heirloom starter with freeze-dried live active bacteria. The pack contains durable powdered starter, not perishable kefir grains.
Each sachet contains loose powder mix, in perfect proportions, of the strains required to make excellent kefir. The exact amount of starter varies per pack and is indicated, in grams, under your selected pack size on the product purchase page. More information about various pack sizes and their contents can be found here.
Packaging: Aluminum foil pouches, sealed. 100% recyclable.
Details: 100% natural. 100% plastic free. No additives. Gluten free. Soy free. GMO free. Halal. Kosher.
Milk to use with: This starter is OK to use with dairy milk, non-dairy milk , vegan milk, basically any milk that you would like to turn into kefir. It works for water kefir too and it is excellent for making frozen and drinkable yogurts. Do not use with lactose-free milk as lactose is the source of food for the bacteria — using lactose-free milk will starve it and you won’t get yogurt. See some more information about our lactose free and vegan yogurt.
Nutritional Information: Available here
Lab test data: Available on request.
Industrial size option: DVS (direct-vat set) packs for manufacturers available on request. If you require starter for vats larger than 150L contact us to place an order.
Origin: Produced in Bulgaria.
Storage
Store the Bulgarian Kefir starter in the FREEZER.
Use by the date indicated on the label.
Bacillus Bulgaricus starters are shipped in sealed sachets.
Transporting the packs (i.e. shipping them to you) at ambient temperatures (even in the warmest climates) is perfectly OK and will not damage the live cultures. We use a freeze-dried process that keeps the strains alive and comfortable even during long trips in hot weather.
Once you receive your starter packs – pop them in the refrigerator or the freezer for best storage.
- 2+ years at around 0°F (-18°C) or lower (in the freezer)
- 1-2 years at around 40°F (4°C) (in the fridge)
- Up to 1 year at ambient (room) temperature.
Unfreezing the starter packs and freezing them again (e.g. when using only a portion) is OK to do, even multiple times.
Make sure you store open sachets in a way that prevents moisture from getting in, i.e. well closed in a Ziploc bag or wrapped around and fastened with a rubber band.
Usage
The packs are packaged and labeled with the grams they contain and the volume those grams make when used entirely in one go.
The packs are intended for single use, or their contents could be split for multiple use.
When you split the pack, take out as much as you need to make your yogurt, then reseal and refreeze the remaining starter for later. Make sure you store the sachets in a way that prevents moisture from getting in, i.e. well closed in a Ziploc bag or wrapped around and fastened with a rubber band.
When you split the contents of the pack and use less starter amount to make smaller volumes, keep in mind that you are also reducing the total amount of yogurt that you can make from the pack (read more on that here).
Refer to this page to see the gram to Liters (gallons) chart and to find out how much starter to use for different volumes of milk.
How To Make Kefir
It is super easy to make kefir using our Bacillus Bulgaricus Kefir starter culture. You can make your own kefir with or without the help of an yogurt maker.
All you need is a pack of our starter and milk. Since kefir contains type of cheese cultures, it’s best if you use it with dairy milk — cow’s, sheep’s, goat’s, skim, whole, raw, or pasteurized. You can also use it with some non-dairy milks and you can use to make water kefir too!
There are two ways to make kefir – the traditional way and a fail proof way, which I personally recommend if you are having problems with the traditional way. It also yields results faster than the traditional method. The two methods are explained in the page linked below.
Bacillus Bulgaricus Kefir Starter
Kefir
Our Kefir starter makes a mild, thick, creamy and absolutely delicious kefir. So good, that you would want to make it again and again.