Live culture: how to use and properly store milk mushroom?
Milk mushroom is a live culture that is used to ferment milk and prepare biokefir.
To receive a healthy tonic drink, the mushroom must be properly cared for and stored responsibly.
We will tell you further about how to properly store milk mushroom.
Content
What are the shelf life and what affects it?
Tibetan milk mushroom is essentially it is a symbiosis of bacteria and microorganisms belonging to the genus Zoogloea. If it is properly cared for and the nutrient medium is updated on time, the culture can live for years.
Active growth occurs in warmth and light. This allows you to separate out excess product over time and share it with friends and family.
Conditions
Tibetan milk mushroom is formed by beneficial bacteria that live and reproduce. Therefore, the product is very demanding on maintenance conditions.
Temperature
During the life of the fungus, substances are formed that contribute to the fermentation of milk. To do this, you need a temperature ranging from +18 to +24°C. That's why the vessel with the lactic acid culture should be kept at room conditionsavoiding overheating and hypothermia.
Lighting
The development of the fungus occurs in the light. The container with it should be placed in a bright place, but not in bright sun. If the jar is placed in the dark, then not only will ripening not occur, but also possible damage to beneficial bacteria.
Dishes
Since the Tibetan mushroom needs light for normal life, it is most convenient to use a transparent glass jar for keeping it.
The container size is determined taking into account the ratio: For 1 tablespoon of culture you need to add 200 ml of warm milk. It should not be hot or cold, as this can cause the crop to get sick, deteriorate, and even disappear.
The vessel chosen for the milk mushroom should not have an excessively narrow neck. This is due to the fact that during the care process the culture is washed, and through a small neck it will be difficult to get it out.
Air access is also required. Therefore, the neck of the jar should not be covered with a lid. It is better to use gauze in several layers.
If conditions are favorable, the growth rate of the fungus will be high. When using high-fat milk, it can take up up to a third of a three-liter jar in a month. The utensils used must be clean.
How to save during a break when going on vacation?
As long as the mushroom is actively used to prepare a lactic acid drink on a regular basis, there are no storage problems.
But when a break is needed, for example during a vacation, it is necessary to organize the maintenance of the product in such a way that constant fluid replacement and rinsing are not required. There are several possible options.
With and without milk
Keeping cultures for kefir production simply in milk, as usual, does not allow the mushroom to be kept for a long time - only a few days.
If the workpiece will remain for a week or even more, this option is not suitable, and you will have to look for another method. Otherwise, the symbiosis of beneficial bacteria in peroxided kefir may die.
Milk mushroom cannot be stored without liquid at room temperature. This is only possible when it is placed in the refrigerator, dried or frozen. When harvesting using “dry” methods, the mushroom can only be kept if all conditions are met.
This video will tell you about storing kefir grains in milk:
In a refrigerator
The product can be kept in a refrigerator for several days. It is first washed and placed in a glass container, filled with milk diluted in half with water. In this form, it can be kept cool for up to 5 days.
The lack of a nutrient medium disrupts life processes mushroom. After lying like this, it loses some of its properties and will need a longer recovery period. Even longer storage without intermediate care is drying or freezing.
Can it be frozen?
Freezing allows you to preserve nutrients with virtually no loss. Before long-term storage, the mushroom needs preparation.It should be washed and inspected. The surface must be clean, free of mucus and traces of mold. After this, you just need to air dry the product.
When the mushroom becomes dry, transfer it to a container with a lid or a plastic bag and place it in the freezer. It can be stored in it for a long time - up to a year..
The product cannot be defrosted and re-frozen multiple times. After it is removed from the freezer, it is left for 3 hours at room temperature in the packaging in which it was located. Next, transfer it to a jar and fill it with prepared milk.
The video will tell you about freezing milk mushroom:
Possibility of drying
For long-term storage of up to three months, the drying method can be used.
The procedure should be as follows:
- Rinse the mushroom.
- Transfer to a nylon or plastic (not metal) sieve.
- Place a sieve on a pan or jar so that the mushroom is spread out in a loose layer and is well ventilated.
- Cover the top with gauze so that it does not come into contact with the culture.
- Leave it like this for four days.
- After dry, solid lumps have formed, transfer them to a container that is intended for further storage.
- Place in a dry place, protected from light.
After 12 hours, the solution should be poured out, the mushroom should be washed and refilled with the same solution. You need to repeat the procedure 3 times.And only after this it becomes possible to use undiluted milk for fermentation.
For the first time, the mushroom is left for 4 days in a warm and bright place.. During this time, you should get kefir that you can already drink.
Video instructions on how to dry milk mushroom:
What to do after?
After storage, especially long-term storage, the milk mushroom needs time to recover. Depending on the preservation method chosen, it may take more or less time for kefir production to begin as usual.
Wherein there is a small chance that the mushroom will not be able to recover. As a rule, this is due to violations in the organization of long-term storage or in cases where the crop has been affected by a disease.
The technology for restoring the condition of the Tibetan mushroom depends on how exactly the storage was organized.
How to determine damage?
If storage conditions are violated, the mushroom may become sick and even disappear.
The following signs may indicate that a product has gone bad:
- Darkening of the milk mushroom.
- Changes in the structure of grains, their acquisition of friability.
- The appearance of mold.
- The appearance of an unpleasant putrid odor.
- The appearance of mucus.
Any sign of the above is a reason to take urgent action. If the damage is significant, the mushroom will completely disappear and will have to be completely replaced.
Such problems can lead to not only obvious, but even seemingly minor violations in care:
- keeping at an inappropriate temperature;
- exposure of the crop to direct sunlight;
- being in the dark;
- washing the mushroom with a metal sieve, using an iron spoon;
- using too cold/hot milk;
- sealing the container with the culture with a tight lid;
- too little milk for a large volume of mushroom.
The video will tell you why the kefir mushroom got sick:
Conclusion
Storing milk mushroom at home requires strict adherence to the technology for preparing a fermented milk drink. If it is necessary to take a break, the choice of culture maintenance method should be made especially carefully.
