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How to make L.Reuteri Fermented Dairy (yogurt)
HOW TO MAKE L. REUTERI FERMENTED DAIRY IN A LUVELE YOGURT MAKER
We love to make yogurt here at Luvele and we love to experiment, so when queries and feedback started coming in from our customers about using our yogurt makers for ‘Undoctored’ L.Reuteri fermented dairy, we naturally got curious.
As it turns out, your Luvele yogurt maker has all the features you need to take all the guesswork out of making L Reuteri yogurt simply and reliably. Whether you have been struggling to make it or whether this is the first time you’ve heard about L. reuteri, our maker, step by step method and trouble-shooting tips are sure to help. But first, what exactly is L.Reuteri fermented dairy?
It is a fermented dairy that is abundant in a particular species of bacteria thathas found to have many amazing benefits.
Dr Davis followed up on initial research into the benefits of Lactobacillus bacteria found in fermented foods like kefir and yogurt. Of the nearly 200 known species of Lactobacillus, however, one species stood out: Lactobacillus reuteri. Studies have demonstrated that large dose L. reuteri probiotic supplementation provided a ton of amazing health benefits.
Davis began experimenting with fermenting this species and ‘Undoctored’ L. reuteri yogurt was born. He stresses however, that it’s not about eating yogurt; and that none of the specified benefits come from consuming conventional yogurt or the yogurt of other homemade yogurt recipes, including methods found on the Luvele website. Davis’s formula is specifically about increasing the counts of ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 strains of L. reuteri bacteria and homemade yogurt is just the vehicle he uses to accomplish this. And unlike conventional yogurt making methods, his approach maximises bacterial counts by adding prebiotic fibre to the yogurt mixture before fermentation to provide ‘food for the microorganisms’.
LACTOBACILLUS REUTERI ATCC PTA 6475 & DSM 17938
Studies that experimented with L. reuteri yogurt consumption in animals & humans suggested dramatic health benefits for both. These include the ability to:
- Assist with weight loss and shut-down appetite
- Improve skin youthfulness, increases collagen & reduces wrinkles
- Accelerate skin healing
- Promote thick and shiny hair
- Increase testosterone levels in men
- Increase the ‘feel good’ hormone oxytocin
- Lower stress
- Reduce acid reflux and infantile colic
- Suppress H.pylori & C.difficile and protects against intestinal infections
- Lower pain perception
- Increase vitamin D3 levels by up to 25.5%
- Decrease incidences of diarrhoea but also increase bowel frequency
- Fight candida
- Prevent and treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Promote thyroid health and oral health
- Protect against certain infections
- Reduce insulin resistance
- Increase muscle mass and bone density
Dr Davis says; “Put all these effects together—caloric reduction, increased skin health, increased bone density, fat loss, muscle gain, reduced insulin resistance, etc.—and you have one of the most powerful anti-aging, youth-preserving strategies I have ever come across.”
STRAIN SPECIFITY & AMOUNT
Strain specificity is important. While there are other strains of L. Reuteri available, Dr Davis has no evidence to suggest they will produce the same health benefits. His recipe specifically uses the bacterial strains, L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 that are available in chewable tablet form from BioGaia. Just Google “BioGaia Gastrus” to find a retailer or company that can ship them to you.
By making yogurt with the probiotics, you are essentially creating the right environment for the live organisms to multiply into the trillion (1000 billion) CFU range. The first tub of yogurt made, using 10 tablets, may seem expensive, but this ‘mother batch’ can go on to re-inoculate or seed further batches.
PREBIOTIC FIBRE
Prebiotics are indigestible plant fibres that feed the probiotics or good bacteria already live inside the large intestine. The more food, or prebiotics, that probiotics have to eat, the more efficiently these live bacteria can work for us and or health. Dr Davies applied this concept to his yogurt experiments and added a small amount of prebiotic fibre to the milk as food for the L.reuteri strains while in their long fermentation. Good, neutral tasting sources of prebiotic are:
- Organic unmodified potato starch, (watch out for added preservatives)
- Organic pure inulin powder
Use 2 tablespoons per quart (or litre) of milk. Prebiotic fibres become viscous when mixed with liquid and help to thicken the milk into yogurt consistency.
TEMPERATURE
L.reuteri grows best at a lower temperature of around 100 degrees F / 37.7 degrees C. Many yogurt makers on the market (or other methods for making yogurt at home) either do not specify the temperature they heat to or incubate at a hotter baseline than required for L. reuteri yogurt. The Luvele Yogurt Makers can be set to between 25 and 50 degrees C in 1 degree C increments for our Australian, UK and EU customers, and between 78 and 122 degrees F in two degree increments for our US and Canadian customers. Furthermore, the unique water-bath technology evenly distributes and regulates the temperature over a long period of time making it the perfect environment for this strain of bacteria to happily proliferate.
FERMENTATION TIME
L.reuteri fermented dairy requires a longer fermentation time than traditional yogurt. It is recommended that reuteri ferment for 36 hours. The 36 hour digital timer on the Luvele Yogurt Maker makes this long incubation stress free.
THE BEST MILK TO USE
Dr Davis’s method recommends ‘half-and-half’ cow’s milk. Half-and-half (also known as ‘half cream’ in the UK) is a blend of equal parts whole milk and cream and has a 10 - 18% fat content. If half-and-half is not available in your country, use UHT (long life milk) or choose organic milk, that is free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, fertilisers and GMOs. For thickest results also choose full cream milk. Do not use skim or low-fat milk varieties.
LACTOSE FREE & VEGAN YOGURT OPTIONS
The best plant-based milk option for L.reuteri yogurt is additive free canned coconut milk or a combination of coconut milk and coconut cream. Click here for the method.
SEEDING THE NEXT BATCH
A portion of your first jar of reuteri fermented dairy – the ‘mother batch’ (with 10 crushed probiotic tablets) can then be used to re-inoculate your next jar of L.reuteri. Simply follow the method detailed below but replace the 10 crushed tablets with a third a cup of L.reuteri.
To ensure the L reuteri strains stay pure and uncontaminated in homemade yogurt, we recommend re-inoculation be keep to a minimum. To ensure that the yogurt stays abundant with the L. reuteri strains and not a breeding ground for other, unwanted bacteria, we recommend starting a fresh mother batch after 4-5 re-inoculations. This may be sooner if you notice any significant changes to the texture, smell or taste. Note that with each re-inoculation the yogurt will thicken. Some people report yogurt firm enough, to stand a spoon upright!
CONSISTENCY
After chilling, the consistency and thickness of the first batch of will depend on the milk you used. It’s not unusual for the first batch to have the consistency of drinking yogurt and separation is common. A separated jar contains the same quantity of beneficial bacteria as a non-separated jar. The L. Reuteri are present in both the solids (curds) and the translucent liquid (whey), and therefore both should be consumed.
STEP BY STEP HOW TO MAKE L.REUTERI YOGURT
UPDATE: July 2024 – The method below is true to Dr Davis’s original recipe however because half and half milk is not available in Australia the results we share may be different to what you are experiencing using the appropriate milk. We have continued to experiment and are pleased to report that we have developed a new method that produces consistent, thick and creamy yogurt every time. You can find new method here.
PREPARATION
Before you begin it is important to sterilise the Luvele yogurt making glass jar, lid and any utensils you use, in boiling hot water. The danger of not sterilising is that other bacteria may overpower your culture and affect the quality of your yogurt.
WATCH HERE FOR TROUBLESHOOTING L REUTERI
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