The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-25
NATURAL YEAST.
A Strange Discovery Recently
Made in California.
It Is Fcrinenting Substance Which II
Superior to the Kephir-Yeast Found
in the Caucasus
Regions


in the Caucasus
Regions.
A species Of yeast closely resembling
the kephir found in the regions of the
Caucasus mountains has been discov-
cred in California, says a San Francisco
letter to the New York Tribune. Like
the kephir, this American product
causes alcoholic fermentation of milk,
afording beverage that is pronounced
refreshing and delightful. Many Cali
fornian housekeepcrs always have on
hand this saccharomycite in jar half
filled with swcetancd water, and the
ferment product known rs California
bees beer, is drawn and used as n tonic.
The kephir grains ferment dextrose as
we'll as lactrose. and it is the dextrose
or grape-suSar Torment product that
has been used mostly in this country.
In Germany and Russia the milk fer
mented by sephir grains has become
popular us drink, and an enterprising
firm has recently opened a factory
where the ferment will be manufac-
turcd for the beverage-loving Germans
The original kephir-yeast, known to
scientists as Kern's milkferment, is
found in the Caucasus regions, and is
called by the natives kipher, lliaphir,
kefir, or kephir The food of the peas
ants is limited to flesh and milk, for
agriculture is impossible in mountain
Gus districts. The milk is never taken
straight" the desired mixture being
obtained by adding the alcoholic fer
ment to the fresh milk. The process is
simple enough. The compound, con-
sisting of one volume of kephir-grains
to six or seven volumes of milk, is eX-
posed to the air at an ordinary tempera-
ture for about twenty-four hours and
shaken frequently. The ferment is
poured from the grains and mixed with
twice its volume of fresh milk, which in
turn is fermented, eliminating a large
amount of carbonic-acid gas, and form
ing from one-half to one per cent. of al
cohol. When made successfully the
liquid is thick, without large coagulated
Jumps and has a pleasantly acid taste.
The preparation of the famous Soumiss
of the steppes differs from this only in
the longer process of fermentation,
when it becomes a frothing, foaming,
decidedly acid drink. The popularity
of the kephir is due largely to its medic
inal properties. Gastric and pulmon-
ary complaints are often cured by it.
As large part of the albuminoids in
the milk are peptonized during fermen-
tation the tonic is great aid to diges-
ton.
The organ of the kephir grains was
e
could be learned from the natives of the
source, but scientists now believe that
in it's wild form it grows in little
clumps or granules on bushes found in
the mountains below the snow-line. 1t
is supposed that the original growth
was by spores, but culture continued
under variety of conditions failed to
show the spore process of growth. The
yeast cells for an infinity of generations
have grown by budding in the milk,
and the plant may have lost the knack
of producing spores. In appearance the
grains are white, compact, elastic, slim
enveloped, massed, spherical or ellipti-
cal in contour, and varying in size from
one to five millimeters in diameter.
The small grains are generally smooth,
but the larger ones have numerous
small outgrowths and resemble
miniature caulihowers. The grains
shrink by loss of water, becoming
yellowish-brown when dry, but do
not lose the power of ferment-
ing. When placed In milk they be-
come white again, and in 4 few days
grow as rapidly and ferment as readily
as the fresh grains. Each grain, when
examined with q microscope, disclosed
two different structures, yeast cells and
bacteria. The bacteria form the larger
mass of the CELL in which the yeast cells
of all shapes and sizes, arranged in
rows, are imbedded.
The American kephir, in the process
OF fermenting milk, does not cause the
milk to sour, in the ordinary sense.
The mixture is acid, but no coagulation
takes place. The ordinary beer-yeast
has not the property of fermenting
sweet milk, although it does produce
alcoholic fermentation in sour milk. 1t
also inverts cane sugar, another point
of difference between the beer-yeast
and kephir, the latter having the power
to ferment dextrose and lactose, but not
saccharose.