Not-Really-Yogurt Recipes Roll-Up

Page Edition: 2020-09-25
If this is over two weeks in the past, it’s out-dated.

A WB Blog user asked: “…somewhere on this site that I can find just the actual recipes for all of the yogurts…”

Other than the original Gastrus® recipe, not that I know of, and the list keeps growing, as more experiments are run and reported on, principally on the Undoctored Inner Circle site (where this publicly-visible Topic/basenote is hosted). For UIC members, the (dairy) Gastrus® recipe is here.

And these are not a formal part of the WB and Undoctored programs. The original L.reuteri recipe has the most track record, but it’s still a challenge for a lot of people to make. Ideally, we can get to a point where commercial yogurt is an option, and people can just buy these, and at clinically useful live-culture CFUs per portion.

Here’s a roll-up of what I’ve seen so far. Those marked I have not yet made. Those marked I have made (but my personal process can vary)

The table data below is for 1 quart or liter amounts of basic substrate. Basic substrate is “half-and-half”, which needs to be just milk and cream, with nothing added; organic, pastured, for extra credit. The recipes scale, but considerations are apt to arise above one gallon in a single container.

We can also discuss alternatives if you are avoiding casein beta A1, but I have no confidence in what I might suggest for entirely non-dairy.

Short Name	Basic Substrate	Buffer/ Extender	Initial Starter	Ferment Temperature	Ferment Time
Gastrus	1 qt. (1L) H&H	2 tbsp. (30mL) inulin	10 crushed tablets or 1 tbsp. saved yogurt	97°F (36°C)	36 hours
Lr30242	1 qt. (1L) H&H	2 tbsp. (30mL) inulin	1 emptied capsule or 1 tbsp. saved yogurt	97°F (36°C)	36 hours
Casei	1 qt. (1L) H&H	2 tbsp. (30mL) inulin	1 tbsp. (15mL) Yakult® or 1 tbsp. saved yogurt	105°F (41°C)	36 hours
Coagulans	1 qt. (1L) H&H	2 tbsp. (30mL) inulin	5 emptied capsules or 1 tbsp. saved yogurt	125°F (52°C)	36 hours
Gasseri	1 qt. (1L) H&H	2 tbsp. (30mL) inulin	10B CFUs or 1 tbsp. saved yogurt	109°F (43°C)	36 hours
∅ {expect more}	—	—	—	—	—

Starter Details:

• Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938,
  initially from Biogaia® Gastrus® tablets.
• Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242
  initially from Life Extension FLORASSIST® Heart Health
• Lactobacillus casei (Shirota)
  initially from Yakult®
• Lactobacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086
  initially from Schiff® Digestive Advantage® Daily
• Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17®
  (no US domestic source for amendment-free BNR17 yet)

Sealed containers are not recommended, as the ferment can be a bit hyperbaric. Full containers are not recommended, as the ferment can be expansive. I use a large vented pot, so have no direct experience with popped lids and overflow, but both phenomena are reported.

Assessing Success

The general principles of assessing batch success are:

• One or more layers well thickened
  Initial batches often stratify into curd layers and watery whey. You can save the whey for future starter use. I freeze it in ice cubes trays when I get any liquid I can separate, but over the last 9 months, I’ve had to use dedicated starter batches (as I get no whey sep, except with L.coagulans). Later batches tend to look more like stand-up commercial yogurts.
• Distinctive aroma and tangy taste
  All successful batches will have a similar aroma and taste, not quite identical to a full-fat live-culture unsweetened commercial yogurt. At some point, we might be able to use litmus paper to check acidity.
• Creamy color (for the dairy-based recipe)
  The surface color is usually more off-white than the starting materials. It can actually appear a bit dry and crumbly if the fermentation vessel has no lid. But there should be no sign of growths, molds, black spots or red/orange tinge.
• Near-term effects
  If you get prompt effects, such as mood, sleep, energy, etc., they will be apparent with a successful batch.

Placeholder: a summary of expected effects by strain is likely to be added here.

Troubleshooting

Undoctored Blog: Troubleshooting L. reuteri yogurt-making

Some additional things to consider include:

• Dead bugs?
  If a question ever does arise as to viability, a simple test is to prepare two small quantities of the substrate (H&H+inulin), and a bit of starter (such as one crushed Gastrus® tablet) added to only one of test samples. Leave the other uncultured. Put both in your incubator, or just leave out at room temperature, covered. The uncultured sample is apt to turn into sour milk, and present quite differently from the cultured sample.
• Retail ingredient junk?
  Far too many half&half products have added emulsifiers, like carrageenan and polysorbate 80. Apart from being “GRAUS” (Generally Recognized As UnSafe, pronounced "gross") on this program, effects during fermentation are not well understood. Ditto for added “vitamins” that may actually be there as preservatives (not to mention frank preservatives). I’ve had pretty good luck with both Land’O’Lakes and Horizon organic H&H.
• Sterility
  Utensils need to be reasonably sterile (as does the inulin or other prebiotic fiber). Whisks are a particularly challenging item to fully clean. Personally, I eliminate these as concerns by re-pasteurizing the dairy, in the fermentation vessel, with the inulin already mixed in, and the whisk present as well.
• More sterility
  When using generation technique, the state of the storage and serving utensils needs to be considered as well.
• Don’t macerate the microbes
  The starter needs to be mixed in by hand, and not by using a blender (stick or otherwise). If using frozen starter, ideally thaw it slowly (I allow 8 hours in the fridge). If I screw up the schedule, I’ll set the cubes in a covered glass bowl in a larger bowl of 105°F tap water. Do not apply more heat than that.
• Drifting along
  Using generational (batch-to-batch) starter, it only takes one incidence of contamination or thermal die-off to affect all subsequent batches. I make this a non-issue with starter batches. If I happen to start from tabs, most of that batch goes into ice cube trays, frozen for use as future starter (and ditto for any whey drained off from subsequent batches). Dr. Davis reports being well past 50 batches using a generational technique, and it seems to work well for many people. But it does introduce variables that can be switched off if necessary.
• Environment
  We’ve had a couple of reports of failure that appear to be linked to nearby diffusers, vaporizers or humidifiers. The ultrasonic devices don’t fully sterilize the working fluids. Evaporative models are just asking for trouble. Turn them off a few hours pre-prep, or run them in a different room.
• Temper, temper
  Have some confidence in what temperature your device holds. Running a dummy (water only) test ’batch’, for at least a few hours, and checking with a probe thermometer is wise. If cold-starting, ponder whether or not the heating elements are creating bug-killing hot spots during warm up (or just eliminate this as a concern by pre-heating the substrate to near ferment temp before adding the starter).

Personal Process Notes

• I routinely re-pasteurize my mix, in the final fermentation vessel, with the extender mixed in, and the whisk in the pot, for various reasons. I use 180°-195°F for 10-20 minutes, re-cooled to target temp -0+5°F. This is optional on the official recipes, but required for raw dairy.
• I haven’t used unmodified potato starch in a while.
• The above table is only for initial batches. I save any drained-off whey into an ice cube tray (or use a portion of an initial batch as dedicated frozen starter), slowly-thawed for use. I use 2 cubes/qt, approx 5 tbsp.
• I ferment for 48 hours for scheduling convenience.

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Bob Niland [disclosures] [topics] [abbreviations]