u/elizabethlauren97

This is my third try making L. Rueteri and I think I finally succeeded. It unfortunately smelled strongly of feet/parmesan, but the appearance and texture is amazing.

I used half and half, almost boiling it for 10 minutes to sterilize the inulin and break down the proteins. After the yogurt finished it’s 36 hours I did scrape off the top oxidized layer which helped with the feet-y odor. Apparently first gen batches can smell like that, though it threw me off at first. Tasted like yogurt, no bitterness but the background taste of feet doesn’t exactly make it pleasant. I’m probably going to test the pH to be extra sure it’s safe to eat.

I just wanted to share the texture because it’s amazing!

Hello all,

I just finished my first batch of L. Reuteri using Cutting Edge Cultures starter and inulin. I heated the inulin to 180F in half and half and let the mixture cool to 100F before adding the starter. I sanitized my whisk, thermometer, and obviously the containers and lids it would ferment in. The batch did not separate and was decently “thick” (more like regular yogurt, not greek) with a small layer of light yellowish whey on the top layer, like normal yogurt.

But the smell is what got me confused. I can’t seem to find a clear answer on if a slight, yeasty smell is normal. Mine smells mildly yeasty with sour and tangy undertones. I can kinda smell a “yogurt” smell if I think really hard, but it smells mostly yeasty and sour, not in a pungent, rotten way. The only thing about yeast I can find online is people talking about a pinkish layer on the top of their yogurt made of yeast that can be scraped off, but I don’t have this. I see a lot of people talk about a slightly off-putting cheesy smell with their first batches, but mine is distinctly yeasty, not cheesy.

I do NOT want to give myself food poisoning as I have an intense fear of throwing up. Some clarity on how this yogurt is supposed to be and if this is normal would be appreciated. I‘m definitely paranoid about this.

TLDR My first batch of L. Reuteri yogurt looks normal, but smells mildly of yeast with tangy and sour undertone. Not cheesy, not overly pungent. Is this normal, or is my batch contaminated and should be tossed?

Thanks

Perfect L. Rueteri yogurt?

First batch smell question