What is Kefir Cheese?

Not many people know the answer, including some of our best clients. So we would like to explain.

Kefir is a perfect fermentation culture – used for centuries by cheese-makers. Kefir contains a stable and diverse community of bacteria, yeast, and fungi that form colonies known as Kefir grains. This biodiversity in Kefir is its strength, contributing to the unique natural quality, health benefits, taste & flavour in Kefir cheeses!!!

All high-quality milk aspires to become a great cheese, we think.

What is high-quality milk?

Fresh. Natural. Unprocessed. Exclusively from pastured, grass-fed animals. Cheese-makers can work with over-processed, industrially-produced poor quality milk. Then, of course, they need to artificially add back what has been lost in the industrial process: bacterial and fungal cultures, enzymes, colour, and even calcium to help poor-quality milk make industrial cheese.

To make great cheese, the process of natural fermentation must occur. One of the most significant components in milk is a diverse population of beneficial bacterial cultures that help to transform fresh milk into fermented milk.

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What does kefir taste like?

Kefir has a creamy texture, tart taste, and slightly yeasty aroma. It is drinkable, but it is thicker than the milk it is made with. It can have a somewhat fizzy nature that creates a dynamic drink when made correctly.
From fruity to savory, from drinks to cheese making, Kefir is versatile. It is an excellent base for smoothies or a replacement for things like sour cream or yogurt when cooking or baking; it can be flavored in dozens of ways. Kefir can be one of the most uniquely delicious things to have in your everyday diet.

Reference: Whitney Wilson “From Kefir with Love.”

Kefir contains the following:

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Potassium

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Calcium

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Vitamin D

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Magnesium

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Phosphorus

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Riboflavin

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B12

Nutritional Facts

Fact #1

The nutritional qualities of milk are enhanced during the fermentation process.
That means Kefir contains more nutrients than the milk it’s made with. For example, Kefir has more calcium than milk! When Kefir grains inoculate the milk, the bioactive products enhance these nutrients to make them more available to the body. It is also true for B vitamins, which are fundamental players in our body’s function.

Fact #2

Kefir has significantly lower amounts of cholesterol than the milk it’s made with. Yep!
The breakdown of cholesterol happens due to the bioactive acids produced by the Kefir grains, meaning your body will not have to tackle the cholesterol itself.

Kefir lowers the cholesterol naturally present in the milk. Kefir grains have this powerful effect through the fermentation process. Some studies performed on Kefir show that fermentation can reduce cholesterol levels between 41%-84%. So, if a regular cup of milk contains around 20 mg of cholesterol, the kefir/fermentation process could reduce that amount to somewhere approximately 5-10mg of cholesterol. Pretty impressive, right?

Fact #3

Kefir has fewer calories than the milk it’s made with. The bacteria from the Kefir Grains “literally” eat some calories for you! And, because lactose (aka milk sugar) is consumed, this means your cup will have less sugar in it – meaning fewer calories. There will be a 20 % reduction in calories and Carbohydrates after the Kefir grains have done that work.