Matsoni Yogurt Starter

Questions on Matsoni Yogurt Starter

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• From Cc lee at 9/28/12 7:18 PM
  • Do I have to wait until the temperature of the milk is 70-77 befor adding the cultur starter?
  • If you're bringing the milk out of the refrigerator, you do not have to let the milk come to room temperature before adding the starter culture.
    
    If you are making a batch of mother culture for using raw milk, and the milk has been heated, you should let the milk cool to 70-77ºF before adding the starter culture.
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• From CC Lee at 9/21/12 6:42 PM
  • I bought Matsoni yogurt starter that will culture under room temperature. However, I have a yogurt maker machine. Can I still use the machine to make my yogurt for this particular type of starter?
    Thanks,
  • Matsoni cutlures at room temperature and requires a temperature between 70° and 77°. Yogurt makers are designed to maintain a temperature of 110°, much too hot for a Matsoni yogurt culture.
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• From Bryan at 7/10/12 3:36 PM
  • When I am activating the culture, should I expect to see some separation? It looks like I have a lump of yogurt surrounded by a little bit of liquid. I am using skim milk. I put it in the fridge now.
  • When culturing yogurt, there is often a layer of whey on the top. If the amount of whey is significant, that is a sign of overculturing. Watch your culturing time with your next batch, making sure to stop the culturing by placing the yogurt in the refrigerator as soon as it's set. Keep in mind that with low fat milks, you will get a thinner product than with whole milk.
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• From Dawn at 4/20/12 12:30 PM
  • Is properly cultured Matsoni SCD- or GAPS-legal? In order to be SCD-legal, for instance, the culture must eventually eat up all the lactose in the milk. Will this happen if I culture it for 48 hours?
  • To achieve an extra-tart yogurt with all the lactose consumed, you would let it culture longer, until the curds begin to separate out from the whey. When "over-culturing" yogurt this way, you must be careful to not let the culture starve. If the bacteria are too long without lactose, they will starve and die, and you won't be able to make a new set of yogurt.
    
    If you want to remove all the lactose AND re-culture the yogurt from batch to batch, you might want to consider making a mother culture, that cultures for a shorter amount of time and that you can then use to make the lactose-free batches.
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• From michelle at 3/25/12 11:21 PM
  • what kind of milk do you recommend? organic milk at the store or raw milk? it is hard to find raw from where I live.
  • Any type of milk will work well with this starter, except for ultra-pasteurized or reconstituted dry milk, both of which are highly processed and may give unreliable results. Organic whole pasteurized milk is a good choice.
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• From Stephanie at 2/28/12 11:58 AM
  • Can I use this culture for non-dairy milks? I'd like a culture I could re-use, unlike the vegan culture.
  • You may be able to culture a batch of non-dairy milk with this starter, but it will not perpetuate, as the cultures need lactose and milk protein to replicate.
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• From Karen at 2/1/12 7:16 AM
  • I would like to make raw yogurt using this starter culture. After looking at the directions, it sounds as if I would have to keep purchasing starter cultures, as I can't use raw yogurt to culture future batches. I would run out of the mother culture at some point, right?
    
    Thank you for the clarification...
  • No, you just need to maintain a separate mother culture that has been prepared with heated milk. You would need to make a new mother culture within 7 days to maintain viability of the culture. You will find more information about maintaining a mesphilic culture with raw milk here: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-make-yogurt
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• From Koko at 2/1/12 7:00 PM
  • I usually buy packets of freeze dried culter of this yogurt in Japan. ...This time, I forgot. Is this culture freeze dry like powder? And how many packets does one order come with and how much amount of yogurt does it make? Thank you!
  • The Matsoni yogurt starter is a freeze-dried powdered culture. The box comes with 2 activation batches. The starter is reusable, so as long as it is cared for properly, it will continue to make yogurt indefinitely. A link to the instructions is included on this product page at the bottom of the Details section.
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• From Ai at 12/27/11 9:18 AM
  • Do I always have to use a new milk? Is it possible to use a milk that has already been open ?
  • You can use a previously open container of milk. You do not have to open a fresh milk each time you make yogurt.
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• From Rose at 9/11/11 4:18 PM
  • Just to clarify--when making your second batch of yogurt, do you get the 1 tablespoon of yogurt from your initial activation batch before or after you put it in the fridge for 6 hours to halt the culturing process?
    
    Thanks for your help!
  • It's better to use yogurt that has been completely processed; i.e., after it has been in the refrigerator for six hours.
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