<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Kefir contains yeast along with a number of bacteria cultures as one of the necessary organisms that create kefir's unique and characteristic properties. Many celiacs are intolerant of yeast and thus cannot consume kefir. The following study demonstrates it might be possible to create a probiotic product with the characteristics of kefir without introducing yeast by a process which mimicks the presence and activities of yeast in kefir grains: ---------- For background on "kefiran" see: Exopolysaccharides Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria of Kefir Grains http://www.znaturforsch.com/sc/57c/s57c0805.pdf ---------- Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol. 2004;90:35-62 Clarification of interactions among microorganisms and development of co- culture system for production of useful substances. Taniguchi M, Tanaka T. Department of Materials Science and Technology, Niigata University, Ikarashi 2-8050, Niigata 950-2181, Japan. [log in to unmask] Co-culture systems containing two microorganisms for the production of useful substances are described. We developed a novel co-culture system composed of two fermentors and two microfiltration modules. The proposed co- culture system allowed regulation of the dissolved oxygen concentration at a level suitable for an individual microorganism in each fermentor, as well as the successful exchange of culture medium between two fermentors. By co- culture, using a combination of Pichia stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ethanol was produced efficiently from a mixture of glucose and xylose. Moreover, the useful probiotic cells were simultaneously produced with a high productivity by our co-culture using a combination of Bifidobacterium and Propionibacterium. Kefiran production by Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens alone under the culture conditions, established by mimicking the presence and activities of yeast cells in kefir grains, was also investigated. The results obtained showed that under the culture conditions established by mimicking the actions of yeast cells on L. kefiranofaciens in kefir grains, the amount of kefiran produced was enhanced, even when the lactic acid bacterium alone was used. PMID: 15453184 [PubMed - in process] * * * *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*