Apparently, a single strain probiotic supplement (store bought brands of reliable quality should work), can be used as a really good starter culture for home made probiotic drinks.
Why I like this more than buying probiotic pills:
1) Affordability: This is a cheaper option, because once the starter has been made, it can be re-used time and time again.
2) A chance to give back: This starter can be passed onto friends and family so that they can make their own probiotic drinks as well.
3) The cultures are alive and these probiotics are in a medium that feeds them i.e. cows or goats dairy, or coconut milk. This supports they growth and potential colonisation of the gut. Most of the store bought probiotic capsules and pills contain only dry powdered probiotics without a nourishing environment in which they can multiply.
Where do I start?
Find a brand of probiotic that is reputable and contains CFU (colony forming units). Compare products to find the ones with the highest amounts i.e. 10 million -10 billion CFU per cap. Single strains are a good way of knowing what you are culturing, because products containing 2 or more strains will inevitably result in the competitive monopolization by the 'strongest' strain anyway. Find a product that contains any one of the following: B. breve, B. longum, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, S. boulardii, S. thermophilus.
I have found the following products to try (found in SA):
Solgar Advanced Acidophilus - L Acidophilus, LA-5
Nutrilida LP2 99V - L plantarum
Inteflora - S. Boullardi
Reuteri drops
Bifidoflora - B. Longum & B. Bifidum (I know this is 2 strains, but I'll try in anyway)
Acidoflora - L. acidophillus
Method:
Heat your milk (or cream) to boiling point, and pour
it into a glass or ceramic container.
Let the milk cool to tepid temperature.
The culture needs a 44 degree C environment to grow
in. Cold winter nights make this more challenging. If you don't have
a yoghurt making machine, then try the following.
Warm your oven to 80 degrees Celsius, then turn it
off. Just need it to be warm and cosy in there - not cooking hot!
Add a few probiotic capsules or crushed tablets into
the tepid milk. Gently stir in.
Place into the oven over night ( a thermos flask is
an alternative, however the metals may react with the bacteria).
If very runny the next day, leave it in the oven for
another 12 -24 hrs.
Note: If it smells odd or alcoholic, it has gone bad
and should be discarded.
It will separate into curds and whey. You can simply
stir this in. Or you can sieve this to retrieve a thicker yoghurt.
But before you do, keep a bit of the original culture as a starter
for your next culture!
References:
http://owndoc.com/candida-albicans/homemade-probiotic-yogurt/
http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/Questions-raised-over-nano-particles-20120212?utm_source=news24-am-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletters