Homemade yogurt left out overnight

I decided to put back in dehydrater and do for another hour to kill any bacteria…
Good idea or bad???

Like I said a couple years ago, you’re probably fine. I wouldn’t make a habit of it but by that point the good bacteria has out competed the bad bacteria. IME when yogurt goes off it’s pretty obvious.

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If it smells like yogurt it’s fine. When yogurt goes off it’s typically moldy on top.

Remember that people were making yogurt long before refrigeration as a way to preserve milk for longer. Like aaqjr said, the good malolactic bacteria that turn milk in to yogurt don’t leave anything for bad bacteria to eat.

For millennia, making yogurt was the only known safe method for preserving milk, other than drying it.

https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/73/suppl_1/4/1819293

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I remember what you said and, now that I have way more first-hand experience for myself, I totally believe you. :smiley:

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Question: does a yogurt/yogurt starter get stronger over time? The last few batches I’ve made either have no odor or the faintest odor of being overly fermented (so the way my yogurt smells a couple of days after I’ve made a new batch). The odor is not “bad,” per se, but it def doesn’t have the sweet and “dairy” odor I’m used to.

The new batch I made overnight was SO tart. Again, not “rancid,” but unpleasantly tart. And I even used a touch less starter than usual.

Is it possible the culture is becoming more active over time?

If you’re using the same milk, the culture is probably evolving over time to a different mix of bacteria. You might want to use some commercial yogurt you like or a commercial starter to do a reset.

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Actually, a starter made from commercially made yogurt can weaken over time. Agree with @robert, a restart is often a good idea.

We ferment Yogurt Plus from Cultures for Health in the IP (so great, a thermometer with an alarm and a mini fan has made this so easy) and kefir from goat milk and kombucha. We used to do viili (thermophillic) which we loved especially from Straus cream.

Happy to share a SCOBY, kefir grains, or yogurt starter with anyone in the LA-area.

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Sounds like your batch might be over fermented or the ratio of starter to milk :milk_glass: may be too high.

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As someone said earlier, it may be quark from over fermentation, but bitter is usually indicative of a flaw.

All was just fine with it as few of you said it would be. Thanks for info.

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I thought so, too (since the last 2 batches were different), so I reduced amount of starter in by ~25% (and, if anything, it smelled even more fermented). We always ferment for 6 hrs.

Decided based on this thread to re-start, so I purchased the Bulgarian yogurt culture (we also like Cultures for Health), since, the few times we used that, I preferred it to the Greek yogurt.

Partner recently randomly asked about kefir, so we might take you up on that offer. :slight_smile:

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