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L. Gasseri Superfood Starter FAQs
FAQs and Recipes with L. Gasseri Yogurt
We get a lot of questions about this super-powerful superfood yogurt. We have answered most of your questions in this FAQ along with recipes too.
L. Gasseri Superfood Yogurt Recipe
L. Gasseri Yogurt Starter
Frequently Asked Questions About L. Gasseri Superfood Starter
Which Dairy to Use:
I highly recommend that when you first start making this yogurt you use ultra-pasteurized half and half milk or heat the half and half milk to 195ºF / 90ºC and hold it there for 10 minutes to denature most of the lactoglobulin. This allows the yogurt to thicken and join with the other proteins that form a mesh.
Do NOT use non-dairy milk! L. Gasseri doesn't work with non-dairy milk.
Different Dairy Milk You Can Use
- For a very rich and firm end-product: 1 quart of dairy half and half. (Ultra-pasteurized or heated to 195°F for 10 minutes and cooled)
- For a rich, semi-firm end-product: 2 cups of dairy half and half + 2 cups of 2% or whole dairy milk. (Ultra-pasteurized or heated to 195°F for 10 minutes and cooled)
- For a soft end-product, similar in texture to yogurt: 1 quart of whole dairy milk or 2% dairy milk (Ultra-pasteurized or heated to 195°F for 10 minutes and cooled)
- Ultra-pasteurized will result in the best yogurt.
If your yogurt is separating into curds and whey, this can be normal for the first activation batch. It's really strong and will calm down on the next batches using this yogurt as a starter. You can still consume and eat this separated batch or blend it into a smoothie with fruit and sweetener.
Here are a few things you can do if it continues to separate.
- Only set the yogurt maker to 97 F° degrees.
- Only use 1 tablespoon of Prebio Plus instead of 2
- If you are not using ultra-pasteurized milk, heat the milk to 195° F for 10 minutes. (Then, let it cool to 100° before adding the culture.) This helps further denature the proteins and form a thick yogurt curd.
My Yogurt is Separating When Using the Yogurt as a Starter?
One thing that's important to know is that separation is not a sign of failure. Whey can be the normal result of lower-fat milk or the lactoglobulin in the milk has not been denatured. The whey is very healthy and contains L. gasseri, as do the curds.
Whether separated or not, your fermented superfood contains L. gasseri in both the curds (solids) and the whey (liquid). The whey is good to drink and is healthy. It has a lot of protein, calcium, vitamin D, and high levels of B vitamins.
Having separation at the bottom of the jar can be normal and is often due to the types of milk you used and some of the Prebio Plus that was at the bottom that is food for the bacteria.
Here are a few things to also try for your next batch that we think could help:
- Only set the yogurt maker to 97°F degrees.
- Only use 1 tablespoon of Prebio Plus instead of 2 tablespoons
- Make sure to only use 2 tbsp of starter per quart — don't use more
Can I Blend the L. Gasseri Yogurt in a Blender?
I don’t believe that it hurts to blend probiotic foods. They’ve questioned this about kefir too, but the bacteria are so small I think it would be very hard to kill it. I’ve also started feeling the benefits of this yogurt and I blend it all the time. It creates a nice feeling of well-being and I’m seeing it in my kids too.
I make the best smoothies by blending frozen fruit, L Gasseri yogurt, and some kefir. It's super thick!
My L. Gasseri Yogurt Expanded Outside of the Jars?
This can sometimes happen on the very first batch if you didn't use ultra-pasteurized milk. It doesn't tend to occur on subsequent batches when you use this as a starter for the next batch.
This could happen for several reasons. You may have screwed the lid on the jar too tightly and this caused pressure to build up and caused the temperature in the jar to raise and get too hot.
It may be that the yogurt starter and prebiotic didn't get mixed together as uniformly as they could be, but it seems to always be better on the next batch if you use this batch (a little of the curds and the whey) as your starter. You can stir this back together and consume it or use it in a smoothie.
It could also be because the appliance got too hot and climbed up above 100°F. I would get a thermometer and place it in the yogurt maker without the yogurt. Turn on the appliance and let the temperature rise and see if this is happening to you. It doesn't always happen right away. I would check the temps and then lower the temp to 98 or even 97°F. It may be getting too hot, and that is causing your issue.
Can I use Raw Milk?
You cannot use raw milk since it contains competing good bacteria and will dominate. The L. gasseri won't survive or be the dominant strain.
If you want to use raw milk, you'll have to pasteurize the milk to make sure there are no other bacteria in the milk. Heat to 180°F and then cool down to 100°F before adding the starter.
Do I Have to Ferment for 36 Hours?
Yes, It's extremely important to let it ferment for 36 hours.
The long, slow fermentation with the lower temperature increases the bacterial strains exponentially over the 36 hours (see graph) and creates a thick, delicious yogurt. It really only starts to increase the bacterial strain at 24 hours so don't take it out too early or you'll miss the benefits.
My Jars Are Turning Out Different
If your L. Gasseri Superfood batches look like the picture, some look fine and others look separated, you can stir them back together and consume them. When they are really separated they don’t remix. In those cases, you can pour off the whey and use it in a drink, eat the curds with a spoon or make a smoothie with frozen fruit.
I suspect that some parts of the heating element in your yogurt maker are hotter than others. You might lower the heat to 97 F° degrees to help with this. Also, Make sure you add water about 1/2 way up the jars in the yogurt maker.
How Many Times Can I Re-culture?
I've recultured my L gasseri yogurt that was a month old and it still worked great.
Remember - if your first batch is separated into curds and whey you can always use it to make more batches with little or no separation.
Use 2 tablespoons of the yogurt as your starter instead of a sachet. We made dozens of batches using the yogurt as a starter and it is still going strong. As long as it is getting thick and sour tasting it is still working.
Can I freeze my culture to reuse to make more yogurt?
We are not fans of freezing yogurt as a starter because it diminishes the probiotic, weakens it, and can make it grainy. You'll get more CFU colony-forming units if you don't freeze it.
What Strain Are We Using?
The strain is L. gasseri from UAS Labs which is the BNR17 strain that Dr. Davis recommends in his book Super Gut.
What Equipment Can I Use?
Your L. gasseri must ferment at a temp of 97- 100°F for 36 hours. Check out the section below of pictures for different appliance options that will fit your need and budget.
- Sous Vide device it can make multiple quart jars
- Luvele Pure Plus Yogurt Maker 2.1 Qt
Luvele Pure Yogurt Maker 4- 13.5 ounce jars - Probiotic Digital Yogurt Maker
- Instant pot with yogurt setting that goes to 100 F and will go 36 hours. Not all Instant pots do this.
The Right Equipment Is Important!
To keep your L. reuteri or L. gasseri at the best temperature, you'll need an appliance with a temperature adjustment of 100°F and a timer that can be set to 36 hours. This can be a yogurt maker, Instant Pot, or sous vide device. You'll need to make sure your device has those features. Here are some appliances that should work well for you.
Luvele Yogurt Maker
This is probably my favorite of the yogurt makers that I have tried. It is a 2.1 QT (2L) Glass Container and is made by Luvele, which is a terrific company that is passionate about what they do. Highly recommended.
Luvele 4 Jar Yogurt Maker
This is another great updated yogurt maker from Luvele. You get 4 jars which are each 13.5 ounces. It keeps the temp between 78 and 122 degrees F and has a 36-hour digital. It's great for making multiple kinds of yogurt.
Ultimate Probiotic Yogurt Maker
This yogurt maker is available on Amazon. It has a lifetime warrenty and allows you to set the time and temperature. It is perfect for making little jars of yogurt.
Sous Vide
We've made dozens of jars of yogurt with this device. You can make larger batches so it's very convenient. It's actually a well-known cooking method used by many chefs.
You'll need a sous vide stick and a container to place the yogurt in a water bath. It allows you to make several jars at one time and controls the temperature perfectly.
Here is a link for the container I use but you can use your own container if you'd like:
Instapots/Pressure Cookers
Not all instapots have a manual temperature setting that can be set to 100°F.
L. reuteri and L. gasseri bacteria love human body temperature. Regular yogurt makers/instapots are usually automatically set to higher temperatures of 110°F or more, which is too hot for L. reuteri or L. gasseri to survive.
Test your device with a cup of water and a thermometer before making your first batch. I hesitate to recommend certain brands because it isn't always standard for all the pots, so please just make sure yours can maintain 100°F.
Every item with a link was selected by me to make it easier for you. I may receive a small affiliate commission if you buy something through my links. Thank you! ❤️
Listen To My Podcast
We get a lot of questions about this L. Gasseri superfood yogurt. I hope to answer most of your questions in this FAQ podcast. You can check out the article, too. Tune in to learn more.
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