Mercola Kinetic Culture is a high-quality culture starter for vegetable fermentation. I’ve recently tested this culture starter when preparing a 12 lb batch of green and red cabbage, ginger and carrots. A simple but great recipe. This review confirms that Dr. Mercola Kinetic Culture is a superb culture starter.
Dr. Mercola Kinetic Culture
Earlier I used Dr. Mercola’s probiotic supplement called Complete Probiotics as a culture starter. It worked very well. However, Kinetic Culture is a further development and is much more suitable to ferment vegetables.
The main advantage with Kinetic Culture is that Kinetic Culture is designed to produce much more vitamin K2 (menaquinone). Vitamin K2 is produced when fermenting cultured butter, kefir, fermented cheeses and sauerkraut.
The amount of K2 is often low depending on what bacteria species are involved in the fermentation process. Kinetic Culture is designed to produce much more vitamin K2.
Importance of vitamin K2:
- Protects cells against oxidative damage. Oxidative damage can cause conditions as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, cancers, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart and blood vessel disorders, heart failure, heart attack and inflammatory diseases.
- Protects veins, arteries and the heart from calcium plaque, a common cause of heart problems
- Helps to maintain bone strength; K2 lessens risks for osteoporosis or fragile bones
- Protects against prostate cancer
- Supports the immune system
- And much more…
Fermenting vegetables with Kinetic Culture
Of all the different culture starters I’ve tested Kinetic Culture delivered the fastest result. In my home, it usually takes two to three days for fermentation to take off. When it does I can see bubbles in the jars and some brine leaking out. Using Kinetic Culture bubbles developed in the jars the very next day. This may not improve the taste or texture, but it clearly shows how potent the probiotic bacteria in this starter are. This is important for a successful fermentation.
After seven days of fermenting the jars in room temperature, I transferred the vegetables to the fridge and the next day we started consuming them. The vegetables were nice and crunchy with a fresh, slightly acidic taste together with hot ginger. Really nice! This can be eaten together with almost any other food. I love to add fermented vegetables to my warm (not hot!) bone broth.
What about the cost for Kinetic Culture?
One box containing 10 packets with 2 grams in each costs $33. That’s enough to make 20-quart jars (1 g/quart of vegetables). The average cost for Kinetic Culture when fermenting vegetables is around $1.65 per quart. This is not at all bad for a high-quality starter. Even if you consume fermented vegetables daily, one bottle of Kinetic Culture lasts for months.
I like the packets very much. They are much more practical than the bottle. Each packet contains 2 grams of starter. This can be used for 2 quarts of vegetables. However, some successfully ferment 3 or 4 quarts on one packet. With fewer bacteria you might need a few days more for fermentation to complete.
Final verdict
Dr. Mercola Kinetic Culture is highly recommended. It’s a high-quality culture starter, easy to use and producing great-tasting vegetables containing very high levels of probiotic bacteria and vitamin K2.
More about Mercola Kinetic Culture
Designing a high-quality culture starter to produce certain vitamins is not easy. It involves DNA sequencing and determining what specific bacteria strains are involved in the different parts of the fermentation process. Such work is done by qualified microbiologists. This reflects a high degree of dedication of those who created Kinetic Culture.
Kinetic Culture is an impressive piece of work. It contains the following bacteria:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1
- Bifidobacterium Lactis
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Lactobacillus brevis
- Bifidobacterium longum
- Streptococcus thermophilus
- Lactobacillus salivarius
The first bacterium in the list is L. acidophilus DDS-1; a potent probiotic. Mercola Kinetic Culture is unique for including the DDS-1.
I mention this because L. acidophilus DDS-1 has some amazing properties:
- Promoting digestion of proteins and carbs
- Producing vitamins, folic acid, vital enzymes and acids
- Produces several acids involved in fighting infection
- Produces natural antibiotic-like substances that kill pathogenic bacteria
- Helps the body to absorb calcium
- Inhibits multiplication of cancerous cells
- Reduces serum cholesterol levels
- Stimulates the immune system
Many probiotic bacteria types and strains work better when taken together; the synergistic effect can be highly beneficial. Kinetic Culture contains 10 different bacteria which increases the benefits. In addition, the DD-1 strain alone has the ability to suppress harmful bacteria causing…
- gas,
- diarrhea,
- dysentery,
- bad breath,
- constipation,
- skin problems,
- stomach ulcers.
No matter if you’re new to culture starters or an experienced user, you cannot go wrong with Dr. Mercola Kinetic Culture.