Original Kefir

[Emerson Mata]

Theoriginal Lifeway product! Our Original Kefir is unsweetened and made with whole milk. Kefir, a tart and tangy cultured dairy drink with 12 probiotic cultures, has been popular in Eastern Europe for more than 2000 years.

Top off a great workout with a tangy twist. Blend berries, chia seeds and coconut sugar with Lifeway Mixed Berry Low-Fat Kefir into a smoothie bowl, then add a rainbow spread of berries for a post-workout treat. This is one berry good for you bowl!

Your daily dose of live and active probiotic cultures, and a source of potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and muscles, and the normal function of digestive enzymes. Potassium helps maintain normal blood pressure and contributes to normal muscle function. Phosphorus supports the normal function of cell membranes.

Our kefir has been independently tested by Atlas Biomed, CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International) and Aberystwyth University, and has been found to include the following diverse range of 27 naturally occurring live cultures:

Most people who are intolerant of cow milk are actually sensitive to one of the proteins found in it, A1 casein, and lack the ability to digest it. Goat milk contains only A2 casein. That makes it, protein-wise, the closest milk to human breast milk, with the least allergenic response.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15448424

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that is full of live active cultures. It comes from the Black Caucasus Mountains of Russia, where the inhabitants lived very long and healthy lives. Kefir spread across the globe and has now come to the UK for good!

We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website, store your preferences, and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you. These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent.

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Sade Meeks is a registered dietitian, food activist, and writer. She is also the executive director and founder of nonprofit GRITS Inc., whose mission is to promote health equity among underserved communities.

Over approximately 24 hours, the microorganisms in the kefir grains multiply and ferment the sugars in the milk, turning it into kefir. Then, the grains are removed from the liquid and can be used again.

The original yogurt is packed with all the kefir benefits to aid your digestion. With billions of live cultures, lots of protein and absolutely no added sugar, it's a great natural source of calcium, vitamin B12 and B2. Kefir Yogurt is the perfect breakfast for the whole family, leaving everyone's gut happy, every day.

From Pure Europe Kefir

originated in the Caucasus Mountains 2,000 years ago. It looks like a small white cauliflower. It is a symbiont composed of more than 30 kinds of bacteria and yeast. Local residents inadvertently fermented Kefir with milk and bacteria. Milk, and after long-term consumption, I feel that my body condition has improved. After being introduced to Europe in the 19th century, kefir has been widely loved, and now it is a nutritional drink that is commonly used in every family. Our high-quality strains come from Germany.

? Drinkable probiotics

Kefir is fermented by adding kefir bacteria to 100% fresh milk. It tastes like sugar-free Greek yogurt, slightly sour and bubbly, with very little sugar and a large number and strains of probiotics. , can change the bacterial ecology, help digestion and smooth defecation. Add kefir to your daily diet or replace a midnight snack for an easy way to get a delicious dose of probiotics.

? Beyond national standards

With SGS food certification, you and your family can eat it with confidence. Our kefir milk contains up to 2.6 billion active lactic acid bacteria per 100 grams, which is higher than most yogurts on the market.

?? Special smell

Fermented foods generally have a special smell, such as kimchi and natto. For some people, kefir is sour, smelly and has bubbles, and tastes like spoiled milk. People who are sensitive to odors should evaluate themselves.

Karachays and Balkars are the creators of kefir and kefir yeast.[4][5] The drink originated in the North Caucasus, in particular the Elbrus region along the upper mountainous sections of Karachay and Balkaria, from where it came to Russia,[6][7] and from there it spread worldwide. Kefir is a common breakfast, lunch or dinner drink consumed in countries of western Eurasia. Kefir is consumed at any time of the day, such as with zelnik (zeljanica), burek and banitsa/gibanica, as well as in cold soups.

Traditional kefir was made in goatskin bags that were hung near a doorway; the bags would be knocked by anyone passing through to keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed.[11] In Karachay-Balkar, gıpı has a connection with gıpıt (wineskin). It was under the name wineskin that Karachay kefir was distributed in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century.[12][13] Kefir spread from the former Soviet Union to the rest of Europe, Canada, Japan, and the United States by the early 21st century.[9][14][15] It has become known in parts of Latin America as blgaros, or "Bulgarians".

Traditional kefir is fermented at ambient temperatures, generally overnight. Fermentation of the lactose yields a sour, carbonated, slightly alcoholic beverage, with a consistency and taste similar to drinkable yogurt.[16]

The kefir grains initiating the fermentation are initially created by auto-aggregations of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens and Kazachstania turicensis, where multiple biofilm producers cause the surfaces to adhere which form a three dimensional microcolony.[17][18][19] The biofilm is a matrix of heteropolysaccharides called kefiran, which is composed of equal proportions of glucose and galactose.[9] It resembles small cauliflower grains, with color ranging from white to creamy yellow. A complex and highly variable symbiotic community can be found in these grains, which can include acetic acid bacteria (such as Acetobacter aceti and A. rasens), yeasts (such as Candida kefyr and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and a number of Lactobacillus species, such as L. parakefiri, L. kefiranofaciens (and subsp. kefirgranum[20]), L. kefiri,[21] etc.[9] While some microbes predominate, Lactobacillus species are always present.[22] The microbe flora can vary between batches of kefir due to factors such as the kefir grains rising out of the milk while fermenting or curds forming around the grains, as well as temperature.[23] Additionally, Tibetan kefir composition differs from that of the Russian kefir, Irish kefir, Taiwan kefir and Turkey fermented beverage with kefir.[9] In recent years, the use of freeze-dried starter culture has become common due to stability of the fermentation result, because the species of microbes are selected in laboratory conditions, as well as easy transportation.[24][25][26]

During fermentation, changes in the composition of ingredients occur. Lactose, the sugar present in milk, is broken down mostly to lactic acid (25%) by the lactic acid bacteria, which results in acidification.[22] Propionibacteria further break down some of the lactic acid into propionic acid (these bacteria also carry out the same fermentation in Swiss cheese). Other substances that contribute to the flavor of kefir are pyruvic acid, acetic acid, diacetyl and acetoin (both of which contribute a "buttery" flavor), citric acid, acetaldehyde, and amino acids resulting from protein breakdown.[27]

Several dietary minerals are found in kefir, such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, molybdenum, manganese, and zinc in amounts that have not been standardized to a reputable nutrient database.[39][37] Kefir contains vitamins in variable amounts, including vitamin A, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E.[39] Essential amino acids found in kefir include methionine, cysteine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, lysine, and valine.[39][37]

Probiotic bacteria found in kefir products include: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactococcus lactis, and Leuconostoc species.[22][36][40] Lactobacilli in kefir may exist in concentrations varying from approximately 1 million to 1 billion colony-forming units per milliliter, and are the bacteria responsible for the synthesis of the polysaccharide kefiran.[3]

The resulting fermented liquid may be drunk, used in recipes, or kept aside in a sealed container for additional time to undergo a secondary fermentation. Because of its acidity the beverage should not be stored in reactive metal containers such as aluminium, copper, or zinc, as these may leach into it over time. The shelf life, unrefrigerated, is up to thirty days.[41]

Kefir can be made using freeze-dried cultures commonly available in powder form from health food stores. A portion of the resulting kefir can be saved to be used a number of times to propagate further fermentations but ultimately does not form grains.

In Taiwan, researchers were able to produce kefir in a laboratory using microorganisms isolated from kefir grains. They report that the resulting kefir drink had chemical properties similar to homemade kefir.[43]

3a8082e126