About kefir. The difference between kefir and biokefir What is the difference between baby kefir and regular kefir

Kaffir lime- a plant of the citrus family. There are other names for this fruit: lima, papeda quillum, limetta, porcupine citrus, etc. India is considered the birthplace of this plant. Today, kaffir lime is popular in some Asian countries.

Limetta fruits are small, green in appearance and very similar to limes (see photo). The difference is that the surface of the fruit is lumpy.

Beneficial features

It is the rich composition that gives limetta a large number of useful properties. So, like other citrus fruits, kaffir lime contains a large amount of ascorbic acid. Thanks to this, the fruit helps increase the body's resistance to various infections, and it also strengthens the immune system. In addition, the fruits can normalize blood pressure.

Kafir lime acts on the body as an antispasmodic with a slight choleretic effect. The fruits can also be used as a general tonic and antioxidant. Kafir lime also helps rejuvenate the body.

Thanks to the beneficial components, the fruits remove toxins and decay products from the body, thereby cleansing it. It is also worth mentioning that the fruit has the ability to tone up digestion, and it also has analgesic properties.

Kaffir lime is used in cosmetics as an ideal natural ingredient for treating hair and scalp. It is recommended to use it for people with oily and hair loss-prone hair, as well as dandruff. Fruit acts as an antibacterial agent, which helps remove dandruff, relieves itching and irritation.

Use in cooking

Kaffir lime is used very rarely in cooking, as the fruits are quite sour and dry. The leaves of the plant are very popular because they have a citrusy and refreshing aroma. To prepare various dishes, not only fresh, but frozen and dried leaves are used. They are used in the same way as the bay leaf that is so familiar to our area; for example, they are added to first courses, fish and meat dishes. In addition, the leaves are included in many sauces, such as curry. They are also used in salads, marinades, etc. Thanks to kaffir lime, the final dish gets a fresh and rich taste. The fruits are used to make drinks and desserts.

Kaffir lime benefits and treatment

The benefits of kaffir lime are used in many traditional medicine recipes, especially in the plant’s homeland. Most often, this fruit is used to improve the psychological state and functioning of the nervous system. Thus, with regular consumption of this citrus fruit, you can cope with feelings of anxiety, as well as stress and insomnia.

Harm of kaffir lime and contraindications

Kafir lime can cause harm to people with individual intolerance, and therefore an allergic reaction is a strict contraindication to eating lime. Pregnant women and allergy sufferers should avoid eating limetta fruit.

There is very little real kefir these days; more and more kefir products are found on the shelves, which do not bring any health benefits. It is not made from live starter culture, but from dried bacteria: the powder is added to pasteurized milk. As a result, they get a drink similar in taste to kefir. In accordance with the law, they do not have the right to call it “kefir”, therefore, a drink made in this way is called “kefir product”, “kefirchik”, “kefir ...”, etc. Manufacturers resorted to a trick to give their product, in the eyes of consumer valuable fermented milk qualities, the name “KEFIR” is written in capital letters, and the end of the word “other” or “naya” is added in small letters. Even on the packaging of the “dead” milk drink there are no indicators of the level of microorganisms and yeast fungi, and there is no starter in the indicated ingredients. In addition, part of the milk in “kefir drinks” is replaced with vegetable palm fat, although such drinks are relatively harmless to the body, but have no health benefits.

In accordance with two technological documents - GOST R 52093 and technical regulations on milk and dairy products, it can be seen on the packaging with an icon consisting of three letters - STR.

Kefir can also be made according to specifications, but at the same time, it can be “live” kefir, this is done when sugar, fruit, juice are added to a natural fermented milk product, children love this drink, but since GOST does not provide for such additives, then in this case, you should not be confused by the TU. The main thing is that the shelf life of the drink does not exceed 14 days, and that the ingredients do not contain preservatives, they are prohibited by GOST. And there was information about the number of lactic acid microorganisms, at least at the end of the product’s shelf life 1x10 to the 7th power CFU/g . The amount of yeast at the end of the product’s shelf life is not less than 1x10 to the 4th power CFU/g.”

In order for you to choose kefir with the fat content you need, the milk is normalized before fermentation, giving it a certain fat content. The cream is skimmed from the milk and then added to it again, achieving the required proportions of 0.5%, 1% or 2.5%. Kefir can also be made from whole milk; it is not normalized, but is fermented immediately as soon as it is received from the cow. Therefore, the fat content of such kefir can reach from 3 to 4%. The manufacturer usually indicates the mass fraction of fat content on the bottle cap or on the cardboard, polyethylene “top” of the package, and there is also information about the batch number.

Has a snow-white color and uniform consistency, kefir should be shaken before use. The taste of fresh “live” kefir is clean, slightly pungent and slightly spicy. However, over time, its taste changes, the reason is the unique microorganisms and fungi living in kefir, therefore, in the first days of its life, kefir is soft, and when the expiration date expires, it becomes more sour and pungent. Technologists call these stages of kefir formation; “immature”, “ripe” drink. Kefir is also characterized by slight gas formation and the presence of alcohol; yeast fungi mow down milk sugar - lactose and produce alcohol in small quantities (up to 1%). Under normal conditions, such activity is useful, but if bacteria begin to actively multiply due to violations of storage conditions, then healthy kefir soon turns into a drink hazardous to health. Therefore, do not buy a drink in a swollen package; choose a product that is stored in refrigerated display cases. Do not stock up on kefir; it must be consumed several days before the expiration date, since the next day the kefir will become harmful. Do not leave the drink open in the refrigerator, foreign microorganisms can penetrate into it, and milk protein absorbs all odors, and the aroma of onions and fish will inevitably end up in the drink.

A unique fermented milk product, which is made from milk using fermentation and kefir “fungi”. Kefir contains beneficial lactic acid bacteria, which have a beneficial effect on digestion, intestinal microflora in general and metabolism. The probiotic effect of kefir is one of its most important properties. In addition, it contains many vitamins. As a rule, people suffering from lactose intolerance can consume kefir without problems.

Of course, to take advantage of all these beneficial properties, you need to choose the best kefir. The rating compiled by Roskontrol experts will help with this.

An important point is that due to the fermentation process, the amount of ethyl alcohol in this drink can reach 0.07%. Of course, the question arises: can children drink kefir? In special “children’s” kefir, the percentage of alcohol is minimal, and it can be safely given to children. It is also worth noting that many pediatricians, due to its high acidity, recommend giving even children’s kefir to babies at least one year old.

The percentage of ethyl alcohol in kefir, which is on the shelves of our stores, if it is produced according to all the rules, is usually small. But there is always the possibility of incorrect storage - by the seller or the buyer himself. In this case, the amount of alcohol may increase, so you should not risk offering such a drink to children. Nowadays, manufacturers offer us a wide range of dairy and fermented milk products designed specifically for baby food.

You can read more about all the properties of this product, as well as the features of choice and reviews of kefir from visitors to our website

The Caucasus is famous for its long-livers. Perhaps the people living in the Caucasus Mountains know the secret of true longevity, and much of it lies in their diet. Kefir occupies an important place among the products consumed by Caucasians. This fermented milk product is very useful for our body; it has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, nervous, cardiovascular and skeletal systems and metabolic processes. Kefir can be consumed even if you are individually intolerant to cow's milk.

Increasingly, special kefir labeled “bio” is found in the windows of small shops and large supermarkets. It is believed that this fermented milk product is even healthier than regular kefir. But what gives biokefir such benefits? And if there are differences between him and his ordinary brother, what are they? We will tell you about this.

Definition

Kefir– a fermented milk product that is made from cow’s (whole or skim) milk by fermentation: alcoholic and fermented milk. To obtain the final product, kefir “fungi” are used - a useful union of more than twenty components: lactic acid streptococci and acetic acid bacteria, yeast and rods.

Biokefir(fermented milk bioproduct, bifidokefir) is a type of kefir to which special starter preparations are added directly: acidophilus bacilli, thermophilic and mesophilic streptococci and bifidobacteria.

Comparison

The whole difference between these two types of kefir is that biokefir contains bifidobacteria. They are characterized by resistance to the effects of gastric juice, so they can enter the intestines and have a beneficial effect on its environment, namely, reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria and restore the microflora.

The undoubted advantages of bifidobacteria:

• strengthen the immune system;
• fight dysbiosis;
• regulate the functioning of the stomach and intestines;
• have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• improve metabolic processes.

Important: the shelf life of biokefir is no more than 10 days. For a product to qualify as “bio-,” it must contain at least 106 CFU/g bifidobacteria.

Biokefir is more expensive than regular kefir.

Conclusions website

1. Biokefir is a type of kefir to which special starter preparations have been added directly, including bifidobacteria. Thanks to them, it has a great healing effect on the human body.
2. The price of biokefir is higher.