What's Happening In The Jar
As soon as the brine is poured on the mineral hungry LAB, they start metabolizing the minerals and carbohydrates in the vegetables. Every 20 to 30 minutes, while the LAB are active, they are doubling their numbers, until they have digested all of the carbohydrates in the Jar. That being said, LAB are “slow to get going” compared to yeasts, molds, and pathogens. That is why it makes such a significant difference to create probiotic foods in The Probiotic Jar’s(™) hermetically sealing container. We give the LAB the most optimum environment for growth, and restrict what supports the undesirable microbes, giving LAB a head start in the battle for survival that they are sure to win!
The undesirable molds and yeasts are using up what little oxygen is available in the headspace. Meanwhile, the LAB create carbon dioxide gas further displacing the oxygen by forcing it up and out of the airlock since carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen. The molds and yeasts are then quickly suffocated.
More about yeasts, molds, and bacteria (Coming Soon)
Early in the fermenting process, a LAB species will flourish that drops the pH of the brine sharply from around neutral pH of 7.0 to below 5.0, in about the first 24 hours. Molds and yeasts are sharply inhibited by the acids, starved by lack of oxygen, and the LAB then begin to flourish. As the first LAB drops the pH in their active phase, they slow down and another LAB that thrives in the lower pH becomes much more active and flourishes, further producing lactic acids, and continuing to lower the pH. More about fermenting phases here (Coming Soon)
If acids are added to the ferment, some of the spectrum of the LAB that would naturally develop in the culture are thus bypassed. Adding whey to a ferment completely changes the spectrum, both by prematurely lowering the acid level, and then introducing foreign dairy LAB strains, which will compete with the vegetable strains and create a completely different ferment. In The Probiotic Jar(tm) it is totally unnecessary to add cultures to fresh, organic vegetables. If you are unsure of the source, freshness, or quality of the produce, it would be best to use a vegetable culture such as Caldwell’s, but these cultures will also alter the flavor of your ferments, although not leaning towards a “cheesy” taste that whey tends to add to the mixture.
While adding acids is not harmful, it is limiting to the spectrum of the naturally present LAB of the ferment. You will notice that some recipes, such as salsa, call for fresh squeezed organic lemon juice or lime juice, intentionally altering the way the ferment will proceed. Experiment! Find out what you like!
One interesting factoid about LAB is that each species works specifically on a certain type of carbohydrate, and certain specific compounds can inhibit specific LAB. It turns out that the tannic acids in grape, raspberry, and oak leaves inhibit the LAB that digest the cellulose present in vegetable cellular structure. What this means in English, is that some vegetables that naturally have a high LAB of a specific type tend to go soft during fermentation and lose their crisp “snap”. This can be prevented by placing several leaves that are high in tannins in the Jar such as grape vine leaves, oak leaves, etc. I find the chemistry of fermenting simply fascinating!
The undesirable molds and yeasts are using up what little oxygen is available in the headspace. Meanwhile, the LAB create carbon dioxide gas further displacing the oxygen by forcing it up and out of the airlock since carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen. The molds and yeasts are then quickly suffocated.
More about yeasts, molds, and bacteria (Coming Soon)
Early in the fermenting process, a LAB species will flourish that drops the pH of the brine sharply from around neutral pH of 7.0 to below 5.0, in about the first 24 hours. Molds and yeasts are sharply inhibited by the acids, starved by lack of oxygen, and the LAB then begin to flourish. As the first LAB drops the pH in their active phase, they slow down and another LAB that thrives in the lower pH becomes much more active and flourishes, further producing lactic acids, and continuing to lower the pH. More about fermenting phases here (Coming Soon)
If acids are added to the ferment, some of the spectrum of the LAB that would naturally develop in the culture are thus bypassed. Adding whey to a ferment completely changes the spectrum, both by prematurely lowering the acid level, and then introducing foreign dairy LAB strains, which will compete with the vegetable strains and create a completely different ferment. In The Probiotic Jar(tm) it is totally unnecessary to add cultures to fresh, organic vegetables. If you are unsure of the source, freshness, or quality of the produce, it would be best to use a vegetable culture such as Caldwell’s, but these cultures will also alter the flavor of your ferments, although not leaning towards a “cheesy” taste that whey tends to add to the mixture.
While adding acids is not harmful, it is limiting to the spectrum of the naturally present LAB of the ferment. You will notice that some recipes, such as salsa, call for fresh squeezed organic lemon juice or lime juice, intentionally altering the way the ferment will proceed. Experiment! Find out what you like!
One interesting factoid about LAB is that each species works specifically on a certain type of carbohydrate, and certain specific compounds can inhibit specific LAB. It turns out that the tannic acids in grape, raspberry, and oak leaves inhibit the LAB that digest the cellulose present in vegetable cellular structure. What this means in English, is that some vegetables that naturally have a high LAB of a specific type tend to go soft during fermentation and lose their crisp “snap”. This can be prevented by placing several leaves that are high in tannins in the Jar such as grape vine leaves, oak leaves, etc. I find the chemistry of fermenting simply fascinating!
