What are bacterial starters?

VIVO bacterial starters are a product containing living, human-friendly bacteria. These bacteria have a number of characteristics:

• capable of fermenting milk, turning it into fermented milk product;
• have probiotic properties - help restore intestinal microflora;
• are antagonists of many pathogenic microorganisms, in other words, they resist the development of pathogenic bacteria.

How are VIVO starters used?

Bacterial starter cultures are used for home preparation of fermented milk products. Homemade fermented milk products prepared using VIVO starter have a number of therapeutic and prophylactic properties and a number of advantages over “store-bought” yoghurts.

In addition, some starter cultures are used without fermentation as a probiotic.

Why are VIVO starters used?

Fermented milk products prepared using VIVO starter cultures are used:

• as an alternative to “store-bought” yoghurts, cottage cheese, sour cream in daily nutrition;
• as the most physiological (natural) and effective means of restoring and maintaining microflora in case of dysbacteriosis and dysbiosis;
• to minimize negative health effects during and after the use of antibiotics and chemotherapy;
• to maintain immunity;
• in dietary nutrition.

How are VIVO starters used in baby food?

• guaranteed product freshness;
• absence of preservatives, flavors, dyes, stabilizers;
• Fermented milk products are a source of essential nutrients for the body in an easy to digest form.

These factors have determined the enormous popularity of using VIVO starter cultures as fermented milk complementary foods for children. It’s better to start with VIVO Bifivit (used for decades in dairy kitchens of the former USSR) and VIVO Cottage Cheese. Also, if your child likes sour foods, you can start administering VIVO Acidolact (also known as Narine, acidophilus milk or acidophilus paste). Over time, when the child gets used to fermented milk products, you can add Vitalakt and Yogurt to the menu, and replace Bifivit with Probio Yogurt

Whatever complementary foods you introduce to your baby (be it VIVO fermented milk products, cereals, vegetable or fruit purees), we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules for introducing complementary foods.

How do VIVO starters help restore intestinal microflora?

A generally accepted method of restoring microflora is the use of probiotics - preparations containing beneficial bacteria.

Unlike tablets, VIVO fermented milk products are the most natural way for humans to deliver beneficial bacteria to the intestines.

The second advantage over drugs is the number of these bacteria. The number of bacteria in one average capsule or tablet is comparable to the number of beneficial bacteria in just one gram of VIVO fermented milk product.

In addition, a big problem with disruption of the intestinal microflora is that pathogenic or conditionally pathogenic microorganisms take the place of the missing beneficial bacteria in the intestine. VIVO fermented milk products contain bacteria that counteract the development of many pathogenic bacteria.

During the fermentation process, these bacteria produce lactic acid and other substances that inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

VIVO starter cultures in fermented milk diets.

There are many diets based on the consumption of fermented milk products. Ideally, a diet should be prescribed by a nutritionist, taking into account the individual characteristics of your body and your treatment and preventive goals.

Therefore, we refrain from publishing any diets on our website. They can be easily found on the Internet using any search engine. Whatever fermented milk diet you follow, using homemade VIVO products instead of store-bought ones will bring much greater benefits:

• fermented milk products made from VIVO starter cultures are truly fresh and “alive”;
• do not contain dyes, preservatives, stabilizers;
• do not contain sugar, sweetener substitutes, or vegetable fats.

Who produces VIVO starters?

The VIVO group of companies was created in 2008 and specializes in the production and sale of bacterial starter cultures for the preparation of live homemade fermented milk products.

Thanks to the unique beneficial properties of VIVO starter cultures, their high quality and safety, they are loved by millions of people around the world.

VIVO starter cultures are particularly popular in Russia, where they occupy a leading position in the market and are represented in all major supermarkets and pharmacies in the country.

VIVO's production base is located in Russia, Moscow. Bacterial cultures from the world's leading manufacturers from France, Germany and Denmark are used as raw materials.

How to prepare fermented milk products?

It is very simple to prepare a fermented milk product using VIVO milk starter.

For the simplest possible preparation, we will need super-pasteurized milk, VIVO starter and a yogurt maker.

You can use not only super-pasteurized milk, but also boiled homemade or regular (pasteurized) “store-bought” milk.

You can also prepare a fermented milk product without a yogurt maker.

In the "Instructions" section

How to prepare fermented milk products in a yogurt maker?

We will need milk, VIVO starter and a yogurt maker.

The starter is dissolved, mixed with milk at room temperature, poured into cups and placed in a yogurt maker. All this will take no more than 5 minutes of your time. After this, the yogurt maker will do everything automatically. All you have to do is remove the finished product from it and put it in the refrigerator.

In the “Instructions” section you will find all the necessary preparation information.

How to prepare fermented milk products in a thermos?

A yogurt maker is a simple and inexpensive device that greatly facilitates the preparation of fermented milk products at home. But if it’s not there, it doesn’t matter. A regular liter thermos with a glass flask will do.

The milk is boiled, cooled to a certain temperature, the starter is dissolved and mixed with milk. This mixture is poured into a thermos and left to ferment for a certain time (the temperature and time of fermentation depend on the specific type of starter and are indicated in the instructions).

After this, the finished product is poured from a thermos and placed in the refrigerator.

In the “Instructions” section you will find all the necessary preparation information.

Is it possible to prepare fermented milk products without a yogurt maker and a thermos?

It is possible to prepare fermented milk products without using a yogurt maker if a number of conditions are met.

The instructions for cooking in a thermos should be followed.

Instead of a thermos, you should use a glass jar, wrapped to prevent the product from cooling.

The product for fermentation should be left in a warm place so that the product does not cool down.

If you manage to maintain the milk temperature in the range of +-2 degrees from the recommended temperature throughout the entire ripening time, everything should work out.

How are VIVO starters used without fermentation?

Bacterial starters contain beneficial live bacteria that are part of the normal human microflora. Thus, fermented milk products and the starter itself are probiotics, which are used with high efficiency to restore intestinal microflora, when using antibiotics, for ARVI and colds, to stimulate the immune system, for gastritis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The best products for consumption in their pure form are the following products: Acidolact, Probio Yogurt, Yogurt, Probio yogurt with lactulose, Yogurt with lactulose and Immunovit.

Dissolve a packet of starter in half a glass of boiled water at room temperature. Take 1 sachet 1 - 2 times a day immediately after meals for 1 - 3 weeks. For maximum effect, it is advisable to combine the intake of pure sourdough with the use of homemade fermented milk products.

How do fermented milk products prepared with VIVO sourdough differ from store-bought ones?

The main differences between homemade fermented milk products prepared using VIVO starter cultures and store-bought ones:

• guaranteed freshness - you know exactly when the product was prepared;
• guaranteed absence of various additives - preservatives, dyes, flavors, stabilizers, vegetable fats;
• the product is guaranteed to contain live beneficial bacteria in high concentration;
• flavoring additives are guaranteed natural - you choose what to add to the finished product;
• you can prepare not only traditional products, but also unique ones that are not sold in stores - Vitalact, Probio Yogurt, Bifivit, Acidolact.

How do fermented milk products prepared with VIVO sourdough differ from yogurt?

The bacteria that are involved in the preparation of curdled milk enter the milk from the environment. These can be either beneficial lactic acid bacteria or unsafe for health. Actively developing in milk, they can increase their quantity to a level that is hazardous to health. Therefore, there are frequent cases of intestinal disorders after eating yogurt.

When preparing fermented milk products using VIVO bacterial starter cultures, specially selected bacteria are added to the milk. They are not only beneficial for humans in themselves, but also have the properties to suppress the development of many pathogenic microorganisms that inevitably enter milk from the environment during the preparation process.

What is a yogurt maker?

A yogurt maker is a simple and inexpensive kitchen appliance that greatly facilitates the preparation of fermented milk products. The yogurt maker consists of a body with a built-in heating element and a container or containers (cups) for preparing fermented milk products.

The task of the yogurt maker is to heat the mixture of milk and starter and maintain the temperature of the mixture constant throughout the entire fermentation time.

What are the differences between yogurt makers?

Fundamental differences between yogurt makers of different models:

• Material from which cups and milk containers are made: glass or plastic.
• Heating element power: the faster the mixture heats up from room temperature to operating temperature, the better.
• The presence of a temperature sensor that regulates the temperature of the milk mixture - without it, the temperature of the milk mixture may differ from the recommended one.
• The presence of a timer with a sound signal will remind you of the need to rearrange the cups of yogurt in the refrigerator.

Why didn't the starter work?

Read more about this in questions about yogurt maker, thermos and milk quality.

Why doesn't the starter ferment in a thermos?

There are several reasons why your starter may not work in a thermos.

• incorrect milk temperature - it is optimal that the milk mixture is at a temperature of +- 2 degrees from the recommended temperature during the entire ripening period. Check the temperature of the milk at the end of the ripening period. If the milk has cooled down, then the thermos does not hold the temperature well. We recommend replacing the thermos or leaving it in a warm place during fermentation.
• incorrect fermentation time - please note that if the temperature of the milk in the thermos decreases, the time required for fermentation may increase
• introducing the starter into milk that is too hot or dissolving the starter with too hot water - high temperatures (above 42 degrees) can damage the bacteria that make up the starter
• you are using low-quality milk - sometimes at various stages of collecting, processing and packaging milk, substances are added to it to prevent milk from souring. These substances can disrupt the ripening process

The likelihood that the reason for the failure is the quality of the starter is extremely low. During production, each batch is carefully checked for bacterial activity. Before packaging, the bacterial concentrate is thoroughly mixed, which ensures uniform activity from bag to bag. If the entire batch turns out to be defective, such batch will be immediately removed from production before the starter goes on sale. Even with significant violations of storage and transportation temperatures, the starter culture retains sufficient activity to produce a high-quality fermented milk product.

Why doesn't the starter ferment in a yogurt maker?

There are several reasons why sourdough may not work:

• Incorrect milk temperature - it is optimal that the milk mixture has a temperature of +- 2 degrees from the recommended temperature during the entire ripening period.
• Incorrect fermentation time - please note that when using some yogurt makers, it may take a significant amount of time for the milk to warm up to the fermentation temperature when the ferment starts to work. Therefore, this time must be added to the recommended cooking time.
• Adding the starter to milk that is too hot or dissolving the starter with too hot water - high temperatures (above 42 degrees) can damage the bacteria that make up the starter.
• You are using low-quality milk - sometimes at various stages of collecting, processing and packaging milk, substances are added to it to prevent milk from souring. These substances can disrupt the ripening process.

The likelihood that the reason for the failure is the quality of the starter is extremely low. During production, each batch is carefully checked for bacterial activity. Before packaging, the bacterial concentrate is thoroughly mixed, which ensures uniform activity from bag to bag. If the entire batch turns out to be defective, such batch will be immediately removed from production before the starter goes on sale. Even with significant violations of storage and transportation temperatures, the starter culture retains sufficient activity to produce a high-quality fermented milk product.

What kind of milk should I use for fermentation?

For the simplest and fastest preparation of high-quality fermented milk products, we recommend using shelf-stable milk (also super-pasteurized) in Tetra-Pak packaging (multilayer packaging made of cardboard and foil). This milk does not require boiling, and if you use a yogurt maker, it is very convenient.

Just add the starter to milk at room temperature (and this milk can be stored at room temperature), stir, pour into cups and turn on the yogurt maker.

When using regular milk (pasteurized), remember: it is highly recommended to boil it and cool it before fermenting.

Both pasteurized and super-pasteurized milk come in “regular” and “baby” varieties. If you are preparing fermented milk products for a child, we recommend using baby milk.

When using homemade milk, it is a good idea to make sure that the cow that gave the milk is healthy. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. It is also recommended to boil homemade milk before fermenting.

Is shelf-stable milk good or bad?

If you study the technology for the production of super-pasteurized milk for long-term storage, it becomes clear that such milk is of quite high quality.

Unlike pasteurization (heating to a temperature of +65 degrees or higher for 30 minutes), with superpasteurization the heating temperature is higher (125-150 degrees), but only for a few seconds (from 2 to 6 seconds). This allows you to preserve a maximum of vitamins and microelements.

At this temperature, all microorganisms die, which allows you to store such milk (in sealed Tetra-Pak packaging) for much longer. This also allows you to avoid boiling the milk before fermenting.

Another fact in favor of super-pasteurized milk is the careful selection of raw materials. After all, if raw milk is stale, it may curdle during superpasteurization. Which will lead to equipment failure, production downtime and expensive repairs.

Why are starter cultures sensitive to milk quality?

When collecting, processing and packaging milk, one of the main problems is bacteria. Getting into milk from the environment, they cause milk to sour. To avoid this, milk is heat treated. However, sometimes at different stages of collection and production, unscrupulous producers or collectors may add substances to milk that inhibit the development of bacteria to prevent souring.

Even if you use the same brand of milk, the quality of the milk may vary from batch to batch. This is due to the fact that dairies cannot fully control the milk collection process.

The same substances that prevent milk from souring during the production process can interfere with the home preparation of fermented milk products. Some sourdough makers genetically modify bacteria to make them resistant to these substances. VIVO starters do not contain genetically modified bacteria.

Why don’t VIVO starters use GMO bacteria?

A columnist for our newspaper inspected the quality of cottage cheese in stores and markets in the North-Eastern district of Moscow.
“What a shame! Year after year, you have breakfast with healthy and natural cottage cheese, and then suddenly find out that it has always been stuffed with chemicals. In order to increase the weight of the product, to give it a creamy consistency, greedy manufacturers add refined or modified starch to its composition. And these are fatty cells, stomach upsets, blockage of blood vessels. You can expose “starchy” cottage cheese at home with the help of a drop of iodine...” - this is how his “curd report” begins. Want to know what happened next? Read! :)

What color is right
The chief veterinarian for the North-Eastern Administrative District, Vladimir Kuzin, says:
- You need to drop 2-3 drops of Lugol’s solution (in common parlance, iodine solution) onto a teaspoon of cottage cheese. If starch is not contained, the product will turn brown. If starch is present, then it turns into different shades of blue. When a new batch of cottage cheese is brought to the market, it is always tested in our laboratory. But, alas, manufacturers often work not according to GOST, but according to specifications, so they have the right to change the composition and add additional ingredients. It is also necessary to distinguish between “cottage cheese” and “curd product”. In the second case, the standards are different, not so strict.
How much specific starch is in cottage cheese and its origin can only be determined by a professional and only in a laboratory. This cannot be done at home. After all, ordinary iodine, which is sold in pharmacies, differs in concentration from our solution. But even ordinary iodine will record the starch content, albeit with errors.

“Otborny” is starchier than “Krestyansky”
I go to the Yaroslavl market, which is on Mira Avenue, 122 bldg. 1. And here is a smiling grandmother with 5 types of cottage cheese.
- Real rustic. Only milk and special bacteria. We make it ourselves on the farm! - she praises. –
For a hundred rubles I take from her 150 grams of creamy “select” and the same amount of grainy “peasant”.
Then I stopped at Auchan on Sheremetyevskaya Street. There I took three packages of cottage cheese: two from GOST and one from a well-known brand of baby food.
Now go home and check.
“Peasant” cottage cheese turns brown after a drop of iodine. Passed the test? But no. After a couple of minutes, the piece becomes covered with a blue speck. It was like he had chickenpox.
I'll try Selected. At first, the brown spot gradually turns blue and becomes a beautiful heavenly color.
I'm starting with baby cottage cheese. Wow! Well, at least this one is okay. Brown spot without any impurities.
Next up are two GOST products. Everything they do is honorable. There is a certificate, the composition is indicated, there is no talk of starch. However... One immediately turned black and blue. But the second one remained brown for about an hour. Only when I was about to throw it away did a barely noticeable treacherous blue appear on it.

Go away with your iodine
My next stop was the Lianozovsky market near the platform of the same name. Here I tested cottage cheese without leaving the cash register, as they say. There was a scandal
-Can I try it first? - I ask and get permission from the seller. I pinch off a little with a plastic spoon and then drop in iodine.
- What are you doing there? What are you checking? Everything I have is of the best quality, what kind of starch? You'll ruin everything for me. Go well! - the lady drives me away. I had to retreat. And the cottage cheese that I managed to pinch off did not turn blue as a result. There was no reason for the saleswoman to be afraid.
So what do we have in the end? Only children's cottage cheese and cottage cheese from the Lianozovsky market passed the test 100%.
(c) Egor PEREZHOGIN
Photos were taken by the author of the text :)

Do you want to maintain your health? Then carefully monitor the quality of the products that come to your table. But it happens that this is quite difficult to do: too many tricks have been invented by people in order to sell low-quality, and therefore cheaper to produce, goods. Dairy products, including cottage cheese, are especially often counterfeited. How to check its naturalness at home?

How and why is cottage cheese faked?

Natural cottage cheese contains a unique combination of microelements

The second part of the question has a clear answer: for profit. But with the first one everything is somewhat more complicated. So, what is the most valuable thing in cottage cheese? Milk. What is the most valuable thing in milk? That's right, fat. To prevent proteins and fats from being destroyed in the product, milk is subjected to ultrafiltration, which preserves these components. However, technologically this is a rather expensive procedure. Therefore, manufacturers, in an effort to reduce the cost of making cottage cheese, add vegetable fats to the product (most often a mixture of coconut and palm oil; after the ban on the use of the latter since 2014, other tropical oils are used).

Moreover, this pseudo-cottage cheese was legalized under the name “curd product”. But since most often this name is located on the side or written in very small print, not all buyers pay attention to the label of what, by all external indicators, looks like cottage cheese, but in fact is not.

75% of people living on Earth suffer from intolerance to lactose contained in milk. Increasing the fat content of cottage cheese with the help of vegetable oils solves this problem and makes it possible to eat it even if you are allergic to milk.

In addition to vegetable fats, the following are used to fake cottage cheese:

• water - to give the product a fresh look if it has begun to dry out on the counter;
• starch - to increase the mass fraction of the product;
• fruit additives - to expand the range of dairy products based on stale cottage cheese.

How to identify a curd product?

The curd product has a smoother consistency

The main difference between cottage cheese and curd product is the content of nutrients.

Comparison of real cottage cheese and cottage cheese product - table

Thus, we see that a curd product containing more carbohydrates and fats is higher in calories and less healthy. But this is not the only thing that exhausts the negative effect of “cottage cheese” on the body. The main harm is in additives. And the biggest danger is an allergy to the chemicals contained in fermented milk products (dyes, sweeteners).

It’s good if the manufacturer still wrote on the packaging that it is a curd product (even in small print). But what if we are talking about buying loose cottage cheese at the market, for example? How to be in this case? It is worth paying attention to:

• consistency - the curd product is denser than natural cottage cheese;
• taste sensations - natural cottage cheese with sourness, and the fake with a sickly sweet aftertaste;
• taste - if you feel that synthetic flavorings have been added, then this is definitely a curd product.

How to check the quality of a product?

GOST specifies compositions for both natural cottage cheese and curd mass

If you buy a product in a store, you should first examine the packaging. Firstly, the package must indicate that the products comply with GOST R 52096–2003 and 53504–2009. And secondly, according to this standard, the presence of 1-2 components from the following is allowed in the composition of cottage cheese:

• milk not lower than second grade;
• premium whole milk powder;
• skimmed milk powder;
• dry cream;
• unsalted butter;
• dry bacterial concentrate of mesophilic lactic acid streptococci;
• milk starters;
• rennet enzyme;
• food grade beef and pork pepsin;
• calcium chloride;
• drinking water.

So, the packaging meets the requirements, but when purchasing fermented milk products on the market or in a store, we do not have the opportunity to check its naturalness. But at home, even without a chemical laboratory, anyone who cares about their health can solve this problem.

Tests you can do at home

Iodine will reveal the presence of starch

Iodine is the surest way to detect starch in cottage cheese

To determine whether a product contains starch, you will need a couple of drops of iodine:

1. Place some product on a plate.
2. We drip iodine.
3. We observe the reaction. If the cottage cheese turns blue, then it contains starch. If it remains light yellow, the product is natural.

Determining the presence of vegetable oil

To determine the presence of vegetable fats, first of all, you need to try the product. This is not the most reliable method, but if vegetable fats are added to the cottage cheese, then an unpleasant oily taste and the feeling of a greasy film will remain on the tongue. You can also draw a conclusion about the naturalness of the product by immersing it in a blender: natural cottage cheese will become plastic and slightly thick, and the mass with vegetable fats will be liquid. The effectiveness of these methods is not 100%. Like the buoyancy test: a natural product sinks in water, but a surrogate floats on the surface. But there are methods that give more objective results, for example:

1. Pour warm boiled water into a glass.
2. Add 1 tsp. cottage cheese.
3. Stir and leave for 2-3 minutes.
4. We observe the result. If greasy spots appear on the surface of the cup, then yes, there are vegetable fats.

Another way to check for the presence of vegetable oils:

1. Take 2 tsp. cottage cheese.
2. Place the sample in a warm place for 1 night.
3. We are watching. If the product is slightly sour, but the color remains the same, it is real cottage cheese. If a crust forms and the color turns yellow, then it’s a fake.

How to buy real cottage cheese, not a fake - video

In pursuit of natural cottage cheese, many experts offer an alternative solution: making a fermented milk product yourself, using high-quality milk and starter cultures. Otherwise, you should carefully select food products both in the store and on the market. Use proven methods for checking the quality of dairy products and be healthy!

How to check the quality of cottage cheese? Any person, and especially a bodybuilder, a horizontal bar athlete or just an athlete knows that cottage cheese is an inexpensive but healthy product that supplies our body with much-needed and high-quality casein protein (protein). It’s a shame, but more and more complaints are coming from certain cottage cheese lovers that, in pursuit of profit, manufacturers add starch, palm oil, and other “chemicals” to cottage cheese, and do not write anything on the label of this product about what it contains all this abomination.

While we are trying to eat right, get rid of the hated belly and sagging sides, get rid of fat deposits on the thighs and buttocks, and are in the naive confidence that we are eating healthy foods, in fact, we are being stuffed with all sorts of chemicals, which certainly do not contribute to weight loss. The situation is even more tragic for those people who are trying to pump up muscles, enlarge their arms, build broad shoulders, back and chest through training, and are ready to spend their last money on expensive sports nutrition or the same cottage cheese, hoping to replenish the reserves of amino acids in the body with the help of dairy squirrel. Alas, practice shows that no laws or certifications guarantee us the quality of the products we pay for. Fortunately, if we talk specifically about cottage cheese, we can at least test it for its starch content. To do this, it is enough to carry out a basic test with iodine and its chemical reaction that occurs when combined with a substance such as starch.

Cottage cheese charged with starch, upon contact with iodine, instantly acquires a blue or even purple tint, while ordinary cottage cheese will remain white with brown spots of iodine. I have always been involved in bodybuilding, overcoming many difficulties, both with nutrition and training. Throughout my entire sports career, it was quite difficult for me to lose belly fat and pump up abs, so I was horrified when I learned about the starch in cottage cheese! Firstly, starch is a carbohydrate, that is, a product that prevents fat burning, provided that the athlete eats it in excess.

How can you follow a diet and control the correct amount of carbohydrates in an athlete’s diet if your cottage cheese, in addition to protein, turns out to contain an indefinite amount of starch? In addition, if they put starch, then it is likely that they also put palm oil or other useless/harmful additives that are not disclosed on the label.

To help gym lovers and just all people, I decided to conduct a detailed test for the presence of starch in cottage cheese. Going to the store, I immediately bought thirteen types of cottage cheese and a bottle of iodine. Having laid out the cottage cheese on a dish, I moistened it with iodine, and to my disappointment, 2 types of cottage cheese immediately turned blue, although it was written on the packaging that all the regulations were met, and that starch was not included in the product (more precisely, its presence in the product was not not a single word was said).

And what did the results of such a simple study show?
Cottage cheese "Vkusnoteevo" is low-fat - the test has been passed.
Cottage cheese “From Vologda” (briquette, foil) - low fat - the test is passed.
“House in the Village” 0.2% – test passed.
“Prostokvashino” 2% – test passed.
“President crumbly” 2% – test passed.
Cottage cheese “From Vologda” (plastic packaging) low-fat – the test is passed.
Low-fat cottage cheese "Ruzsky" - the test has been passed.
Cottage cheese "Dmitrovsky" 1.8% - the test did not pass, it turned a disgusting black and blue color.
Low-fat Ostankino cottage cheese (curd paste in a tube) – the test is passed.
Ostankino cottage cheese in a briquette - the test has been passed.
Cottage cheese "Rostagroexport" 0% - test failed. In appearance, the color was not as terrifying as in the case of “Dmitrovsky” cottage cheese, but still it turned blue.
Homemade cottage cheese by weight (manufacturer unknown, bought at the Perekrestok supermarket) - test passed.
Cottage cheese "Tevye" 18% fat - test passed.

This was cottage cheese from Russian producers, but in the same way you can check the quality of any other cottage cheese from any production.
Share the results of your experiment with your friends and acquaintances! Help others make the right choice!

Also, if you know any methods for checking the quality of any other products, I would be grateful if you share this useful information with me!

Many people don’t like it when a friendly dinner or simply treating a neighbor to cheesecakes with maple syrup ends in death. Therefore, home “incoming control” of products that come to our table from the market or grocery stores is relevant.

Checking the quality of cottage cheese at home

Product price

However, first of all, products, including cottage cheese, should be checked in the store. First, look at the price tag, and if a kilogram of natural cottage cheese costs less than four hundred rubles per kilogram, you should ask how profitability is achieved in this enterprise. Most likely, this product looks like cottage cheese, but is not cottage cheese.

Production date and expiration date

Be sure to pay attention to the production date and expiration date. Unfortunately, the expiration date is discovered at home, when it is too late to file a claim. Consumption of a natural product that has expired is fraught with danger, and the period in this case cannot exceed seven days, unless, of course, the manufacturer has used preservative additives to increase the shelf life. In this case, this product cannot be considered completely natural.

Alarming consistency

An external suspicious sign may be the alarming consistency of the cottage cheese. Excessively liquid or dry cottage cheese can result from technological violations in production, which almost always negatively affect the quality of the product.

After these preliminary checks, a test for naturalness should be carried out, based on the fact that vegetable fats and starch should be absent from natural cottage cheese.

Replacing animal fats with vegetable ones

Manufacturers often seek to earn extra money by replacing animal fats with vegetable fats. Their role is usually played by. Since vegetable fats are much more difficult to digest by the body, the nutritional value of such cottage cheese is noticeably reduced. At the same time, the saved funds are extremely rarely used to help the poor and wretched, victims of AIDS and earthquakes, but are simply put into pockets.

How to determine the presence of vegetable fats in cottage cheese?

The presence of vegetable fats in cottage cheese can be determined quite simply. You just need to take a sample and chew a piece. In this case, vegetable fats will leave an unpleasant feeling of a “greasy film” on the tongue.

There is another way, you can simply leave a small amount of cottage cheese at room temperature overnight, or during the day, for eight to ten hours. The presence of vegetable fats in cottage cheese initiates the appearance of a crust and yellowing of the product. In addition, such exposure in the open air will lead to some acidification of the natural product, and the taste of cottage cheese “enriched” with vegetable fats will not change.

Checking cottage cheese for the presence of starch

You should also check the purchased cottage cheese for the presence of starch, which the insolent manufacturers add to the cottage cheese to make the product heavier. Moreover, in addition to unnecessary expenses, the buyer also suffers from the fact that starch, when constantly consumed, does not allow fat to be burned in the body, and this is a blow to those who use cottage cheese for the purpose of losing weight or improving athletic performance.

To test cottage cheese for starch, iodine is used, a couple of drops of which are applied to a piece of cottage cheese. If there is starch, the product turns blue. Otherwise, consider yourself lucky and this time the manufacturer forgot to put starch in the cottage cheese.

conclusions

It’s good when cottage cheese that has passed all the tests takes up space on your table, however, finding a similar product is not so easy.

There will definitely be no extraneous additives here, unless, of course, you add them yourself. Undoubtedly, the price of this product will be significantly lower.