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There are four general types of yogurt starter which can be used, live culture store bought yogurt, powdered direct set culture, heirloom culture and probiotic powder culture. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and depending on your situation one method may be better than another for you.
Using store bought yogurt as a yogurt starter
Store bought yogurt can be used as a yogurt starter by adding a little yogurt to freshly pasteurized milk and incubating it for 6-12 hours. Store bought yogurt contains live bacterial cultures which were introduced to milk at the factory.
The culture is very controlled, usually having two to four lactic acid bacteria species which have been identified as being able to acidify the milk quickly and produce a very consistent product. This is beneficial to the dairy which produces the yogurt and the store which sells it as the product is very predictable and can be produced quickly with the least amount of expense.
Benefits of using store bought yogurt as a starter culture
It is readily available
Every grocery, corner and health food store will carry store bought yogurt. Ensure that the yogurt has live bacterial cultures in it, does not have any added sugar or fruit and is as fresh as possible.
Most store bought yogurt has some type of thickener in it. This is because it needs to be consistent, being the same no matter how far it was transported or how long it was stored in the cooler prior to being purchased. If you can find one which does not have any thickeners use it rather than the thickened versions to keep your yogurt as pure as possible.
It is easy to use
To use store bought yogurt as a starter all you need to do is to add a spoonful of yogurt to the prepared milk (for instructions on how to prepare your milk check this article) and stir thoroughly. Incubate normally.
This method is called backsploping in fermentation terms and is how many fermentations are propagated. The culture from the previous batch (the store bought yogurt) is used to start the next batch.
It produces a consistent yogurt
Consistency is a hallmark of good manufacturing processes and commercial yogurt making is a manufacturing process. Milk is converted into yogurt in the most efficient manner as possible with the same results expected each time. This is because consumers like things being the same every time.
One of the ways they do this is by using very specific bacterial cultures which produce the flavors and textures their customers like. Since you are using the same cultures which made the store bought yogurt you will get yogurt which resembles store bought.
Drawbacks of using store bought yogurt as a starter culture
Only contains a few lactic acid species
In order to get a consistent product their customers want, dairies use yogurt starters which have a limited number of lactic acid bacterial cultures. This is great for producing a consistent product in a manufacturing plant but it limits the types of lactic acid bacteria which are present in the yogurt.
The limited number of lactic acid bacterial strains limits the benefits you get from the yogurt. Each strain of lactic acid bacteria requires different living conditions and will fill a different niche in the yogurt, making for a strong culture resistant to unwanted bacteria, mold and yeast. Store bought yogurt does not have the diversity so it is more susceptible to spoilage.
Usually contains additives
Additives are added to store bought yogurt for a number of reasons:
- To maintain structure during shipping and handling
- To produce a thick creamy texture for the customer
- To shorten the incubation time
- To be able to use no or low fat milk and still maintain the right texture
These additives are mostly starch based which are industrially processed. They all make the yogurt harder to digest and take on an unusual texture which becomes noticeable once you start to make your own yogurt.
Some of the thickeners used include:
- Agar-agar
- Guar gum
- Corn starch
- Tapioca starch
- Flour
- Pectin
- Gelatin
- Modified milk ingredients (milk powder)
All of these ingredients will contain unwanted industrial chemicals and contaminants. When using store bought yogurt as a starter some (albeit a small amount) will be included into your yogurt.
Must be purchased regularly
The process of making yogurt at home is different from making yogurt at a commercial plant. Commercial plants use high heat and toxic chemicals to sanitize all equipment before every batch of yogurt. The process is highly controlled and monitored to ensure no contamination of unwanted bacteria and yeast strains get into the yogurt which can produce an inconsistent product.
When making yogurt at home such standards are unnecessary and hard to achieve and as a result you will not be able to continue to use the same starter from a previous batch of yogurt from a store bought culture. Each time it is used it will pick up additional bacterial strains from your environment. Some will be good but some will be unwanted and can cause spoilage, off flavors and inconsistent yogurt texture. It is recommended that you use a fresh yogurt starter each time you make yogurt this way.
Using powdered direct set culture as a yogurt starter
Powdered yogurt direct set cultures come in little pouches with dehydrated yogurt starters in them. The cultures vary depending on the type you purchase but the most popular types are for thermophilic cultures. These are species of lactic acid bacteria which need to be incubated between 108-115℉ (42-46℃). Although there are some which are mesophilic starters which grow well in ambient temperatures.
Benefits of using powdered direct set yogurt starter
Can be purchased at most health food stores or online
There are several brands of yogurt starter which come with full instructions on how to use them. They are conveniently packaged in packets meant for a specific amount of yogurt. Most boxes of yogurt starter will start several batches at a price less than that of purchasing yogurt at the store.
Comes in a variety of types
Yogurt has many cultural roots. It seems every culture which kept livestock has some heritage style of yogurt. Be it greek style, belgian or indian yogurt each have their own texture and method of production. Starters for many types of yogurt can be found at health food stores or online.
It produces a consistent yogurt
Yogurt made with these packets are very consistent so long as you follow the instructions on the packet. The cultures in each packet are produced and dried using an industrial process which will produce the same product within very small tolerances. This makes for a predictable culture which will provide the user with the same experience over and over.
With a predictable product companies can more effectively market it. People are more likely to purchase a product regularly which produces the same results every time rather than one which is hit and miss.
Drawbacks of using powdered direct set yogurt starter
Only contains a few lactic acid species
These packets are essentially the same cultures which commercial yogurt makers use to produce their yogurt. This makes for a very similar yogurt but it also lacks the bacterial variety of heirloom yogurt styles.
The lack of variety means these starters are meant for one time use. Some people use yogurt made from these starters to start another batch or two but because of the lack of diversity they can get contaminated with unwanted bacteria quickly.
Is more difficult to make
The instructions on the packet require milk to be treated differently. The packets need to be dissolved in warm milk and stirred for a longer period of time to be evenly distributed throughout the milk otherwise it can incubate unevenly (most lactic acid bacteria are not motile).
The packets need to be stored in the fridge to maintain freshness and deteriorate with extended periods of time in storage. If the packets are old they require a longer period of incubation before the milk will gel into yogurt. During that time the milk is more susceptible to growth of unwanted microorganisms because the pH of the milk does not fall quickly enough to limit their growth.
Must be purchased regularly
Each packet is meant for one time use. As mentioned above some people use the yogurt produced by these packets one or two times again but it is not recommended. As a result the starter must be purchased regularly to maintain your yogurt supply.
Using a heirloom culture as a yogurt starter
Heirloom starter cultures come in a variety of styles. They come from all over the world and each type has a different flavor and texture. These types of yogurt starters can be perpetuated indefinitely as long as they are cared for. Some heirloom cultures have been maintained over a hundred years and have spread throughout the world to take on different characteristics depending on its environment.
Benefits of using heirloom culture as a starter culture
Contains a wide variety of lactic acid bacteria species
Heirloom yogurt styles are yogurt cultures which have been developed over hundreds of years. Some even have pedigrees which show where they came from and how old they are. Such yogurt cultures contain a wide variety of bacteria cultures which occupy every niche environment in the milk/yogurt.
It is the wide variety of bacteria which make for a stable environment which prevents unwanted bacteria and yeasts from getting a foothold in the yogurt. Due to the acidifying effects of the lactic acid bacteria in the milk, the speed at which the milk is acidified and the competition for food, contamination of the milk from outside bacteria, yeast or mold is very unlikely.
As the environment changes for the milk/yogurt different microorganisms within the culture grow quickly preventing contamination from outside. This established culture will have varying populations of the various microorganisms in the culture depending on the ambient environment. If it is warm the bacteria which like it warm grow; if it is a high fat milk the bacteria which grow well in high fat milk grow quickly; once the milk is acidic the bacteria which thrive in low pH solutions get the upper hand.
Can be perpetuated indefinitely
Due to the wide variety of lactic acid bacteria, some acetic acid bacteria and yeast species found in these cultures they have a very robust nature. They produce compounds which are protective of the culture preventing unwanted microorganisms from growing and compete with any unwanted bacteria which does enter the medium for food and space.
This makes for a culture which can be used again and again. It does not get contaminated with spoilage bacteria as the culture protects itself and can reproduce quickly when given the right environment.
Comes in a variety of styles
Heirloom yogurt is how yogurt was made for centuries without the need for industrialized processes. They come from all over the world and each community would have a different yogurt culture made up of different bacteria and yeast species depending on what is in the environment it came from.
The different cultures will produce yogurt with varying characteristics. Some will be thick or runny, creamy or viscous.
Drawbacks of using heirloom culture as a starter culture
Must be cared for
It is true that heirloom yogurt cultures can live indefinitely but that does not mean that they do. Just like any other living thing a heirloom starter needs:
- A continuous supply of energy (fresh milk)
- Favorable environmental conditions
- Protection from invasion
The lactic acid bacteria in the culture break down the lactose in the milk for energy which it uses to fuel its metabolism. As the energy supply in the milk drops the cultures growth slows and will eventually stop. Most of the bacteria found in the culture have methods of survival in times of low food but it is hard on the culture.
To prevent stressing a heirloom culture it is recommended that they are refreshed weekly. This means that every week you should be making more yogurt with your culture.
More difficult to find
Heirloom cultures are not as popular in homemade yogurt making circles and as a result they are harder to find. Some health food stores carry a limited supply, online retailers such as Cultures For Health are the best way to gain access to a heirloom starter but you could also search for other yogurt enthusiasts and ask for a starter from them.
Heirloom yogurt is exclusively inoculated using the backslopping method (some yogurt from a prior batch is used to inoculate the next batch) so getting a little yogurt made from a heirloom culture can act as a starter.
Can produce varying results
The highly controlled environments for making yogurt in the above two methods produce a very consistent product but heirloom yogurt can be made in a variety of ways (depending on the type) from various temperatures, milk types, incubation times and oxygen availability. Each of these variables will affect the flavor and texture of the yogurt.
Each one of the strains in the yogurt has a specific set of environmental conditions which it grows best in. When those conditions are met they can dominate the culture which causes the yogurt to take on the flavors and textures produced by that particular strain.
A typical unwanted result is a slimy, stringy or ropey texture. This is caused by an overgrowth of a particular lactic acid bacteria strain which can dominate the milk when the incubation temperature is too low for too long (to learn more about this checkout this post here), but other conditions can arise such as an unpleasant flavor, yogurt with a high acid content or a grainy texture.
Using probiotic capsules as a yogurt starter
This seems to be a new thing in health circles for some reason. Probiotic capsules are made from growing specific lactic acid strains on a medium of some kind and then dehydrating it into a powder before loading it into a capsule. Some companies have proprietary bacterial strains which they have developed and tested while others use off the rack lactic acid bacteria.
Use fresh capsules with live bacteria which are not proprietary as a yogurt starter. Without fresh live bacteria yogurt will not set properly and can spoil rather than make healthy yogurt. Proprietary strains protected by law. Companies spend millions in their development: do not steal from them.
Benefits of using probiotic capsules as a starter culture
Are available in most grocery and health food stores
Probiotics are all the rage now and can be found everywhere. Grocery stores, health food stores and sometimes even convenience stores. The benefit of this is that all probiotic supplements are made from lactic acid bacterial cultures. Not all of them are usable for making yogurt but most of them can. The probiotic capsule must contain active cultures in it to make it possible to use as a yogurt starter.
Can make yogurt with specific lactic acid bacteria
Every living thing has different characteristics, some of which have been found to be beneficial to other organisms. This is the case with probiotics and we as humans have taken advantage of this by producing probiotic capsules with specific lactic acid bacteria. This means that if you are looking for a particular benefit which you get from a specific probiotic capsule you can use that capsule to increase the number of live probiotic strains in your diet.
When yogurt is made from probiotic capsules the lactic acid bacteria will activate in the milk and multiply quickly, dominating the milk and producing yogurt. The population of the probiotic bacteria is limited by the amount of lactose in the milk and the time it is incubated. This allows a specific probiotic bacteria to increase in number and produce yogurt with the characteristic you want.
Can be cheaper than powdered yogurt starter
Powdered yogurt starter comes in a box with 6-8 envelopes of starter. They may cost half that of a bottle of probiotic capsules but the number of probiotic capsules in the bottle can be 30-100 depending on the size and brand of probiotics. Clearly the probiotic capsules are cheaper in the long run.
Drawbacks of using probiotic capsules as a starter culture
Very limited lactic acid bacterial strains
Probiotic capsules are a controlled health product and need to maintain a strict manufacturing process to avoid any contamination of unwanted bacteria, yeast or mold. As a result only the probiotic strains found on the label will be present in detectable levels.
This makes for a very weak starter which should only be used once. It is rare in nature where a species of anything will monopolize an environment and when it does it experiences weakening forces which allow other “invaders” a foothold. This is especially true when dealing with microorganisms.
Could be protected by law
Probiotic capsules are a manufactured product. The probiotic strains have to be either purchased from a supply source and incubated to increase their numbers or the manufacturer will have developed their own strain which has specific characteristics.
When a manufacturer takes the time to develop their own strain of probiotic bacteria, perform the studies needed to show its benefits as well as its safety, develop the manufacturing process and market it, using it to make probiotic yogurt is called theft. If you are after the benefits which the particular strain of bacteria produces then shouldn’t the company which spent big money to produce said strain be compensated to the fullest extent.
Such products are called proprietary and it is illegal to “manufacture” your own probiotics using their property. When using probiotic capsules to make yogurt read the label to determine if the company has rights to the particular strains on the capsules. If they do use another product.
Unknown manufacturing processes
Probiotic capsules are made in an industrial plant with large machinery which can produce thousands of capsules a day. Advertising would make us believe that it is a clean, wholesome process where nothing ever goes wrong. Unfortunately this is not the case. Manufacturing equipment is meant to do one thing, produce a product within a set of tolerances at a profit for the owner. That’s it.
