2 ways to check kefir for naturalness

For food to be healthy, it generally must be made without the use of “chemicals.” We suggest checking kefir for naturalness using iodine and kefir whiskers.

Home test

Try mixing 500 ml of water and 10 g of starch. Heat the liquid over the fire, and after cooling, add 100 ml of high-quality kefir. You will receive a kefir drink that tastes no different from the natural one. This is exactly how 50% of companies produce their product today. It turns out cheap, but of little use.

Counterfeits are also found among expensive brands, sadly. Fortunately, determining the presence of starch in kefir is quite simple. The most accessible test that can be done at home is using iodine.

How to check kefir for naturalness:

1. Pour kefir into a glass.
   
2. Add 0.5–1 teaspoon of iodine.
   
3. Stir lightly.
   
4. We wait 3–5 minutes for a reaction.
   

If the drink contains starch, it will react with iodine. The dark orange color will change to green, blue-green or purple. This is what it looks like:

Kefir “mustache” – an indicator of naturalness

It is almost impossible to drink natural kefir without the appearance of a “mustache” above the upper lip. It is thick and rich. While the substitute is diluted.

Natural fermented milk product:

• thick and homogeneous, without lumps;
• milky white with a slight cream tint;
• has a balanced taste: not sweet, not bitter, moderately sour.

Attention to composition

Natural kefir is made from milk and a unique set of fungi and bacteria. In other words, it is a “live” drink consisting of a culture of microorganisms - probiotics. They connect and interact with each other. As a result, the drink becomes healing, has an immunostimulating, calming and mild diuretic effect.

Composition of natural kefir: milk, kefir grain starter.

Some manufacturers additionally indicate the content of lactic acid microorganisms and yeast - not less than 1x10 to the 7th power of the former and not less than 1x10 to the 4th power of CFU/g of the latter.

If thickeners (starch, E 1442) or starter culture separately from fungi are added to the product, it is already a kefir drink. Honest manufacturers write this as “kefir product.” And some try to cheat and use the word “kefir.” One way or another, kefir drink is made from powder. It is easy to guess that there is little benefit in it.

An indicator of the unnaturalness of kefir is the reduced protein content. 3% is the established norm. If it says 2.8% protein, it means the product has been diluted.

Attention to expiration date

Kefir is a living organism. It is developing. Thanks to the activity of yeast, the acidity of the drink increases every day, milk sugar is fermented, and pathogenic microorganisms begin to multiply. If the ingredients are natural, the product disappears quickly enough.

A short shelf life (about 10 days) is an indicator of the good quality of kefir and its naturalness.

Fresh, natural, properly prepared kefir is the key to health. In order to choose a truly high-quality product, you need to understand the composition. Additionally, you can conduct an iodine test at home and see if the drink leaves a white stripe on your upper lip. The presence of a “mustache” is a strong argument in its favor!