Scientists have come up with new facts about the history of kefir. And one nation will not like it!
Kefir has always been considered a “Caucasian” thing. Sources stated that this fermented milk drink was made by ancient Caucasians in a goat’s bag, which they filled with milk and hung on the door. This enhancer was practical. Firstly, the milk was always at hand, and secondly, every passerby got in the way of the bag and thus accelerated the kefir fermentation… However, this “kefir odyssey” now has a bit of a bitter taste. Scientists in the burial site of Xiao-che, in the northwestern part of China’s Tarim Basin, discovered an incredible thing – the progenitor of kefir!
The author of the video, Discovery Future, reveals the story of the oldest kefir. More on the YouTube.com channel.
A white layer that is thousands of years old
It all happened a few years ago. Archaeologists found mummies covered in a strange white substance in the burial ground. Genetic analysis revealed that it is kefir! “It is the oldest sample of kefir in the world,” say scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, adding in one breath that it is unbelievable how kefir could survive for so many thousands of years: “Kefir is one of the drinks that are very difficult to preserve. That’s why we consider this find to be unique, from which we can read a lot of interesting things about the diet of our ancestors.”
Hidden kefir grain
Scientists examined the found layer of kefir. And what did they come up with? “The white matter on the surface of the mummies was actually kefir kernels, which in combination with the bacteria in the proteins, fats and sugars act a bit like bread yeast,” said one of the scientists, adding that in the case of the mummies it was kefir from two mixed milks – goat and cow. And that’s not all! “The milk contained various types of fungi, including Lactobacillus kefironofaciens and Pichia kudriavzevi, which are also found in today’s kefir grains,” the scientist explained.
A surprising discovery
Therefore, the researchers were not lazy and compared the ancient kefir genome of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens with the current one. And what did they come up with? “Currently there are two main groups of Lactobacillus bacteria. One comes from the Caucasus (so today’s Russia) and the other from Tibet (today’s China). “Excavations have clearly shown that the first country where kefir began to be produced was China. The age of the mummies is estimated at 3033 to 3600 years, which refers to the Bronze Age,” says one of the scientists.
Unexpected development of bacteria
The study of kefir also showed that the bacterium Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens had exchanged “genetic material” with related strains over the thousands of years and thus became more stable and also capable of better fermentation of milk. “Compared to the ancient bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, the current version of the bacteria is much better accepted by the body and is adaptable to human hosts,” concludes the scientist, adding that kefir research is far from over and will certainly bring more surprises.
Sources: www.nationalgeographic.cz, https://zoom.iprima.cz
