Tibicos

Fermented water kefir with grains on the bottom and a floating piece of grapefruit peel

Tibicos grains average 5 mm in size.

Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California bees, and in older literature as bébées, African bees, ale nuts, Australian bees, balm of Gilead, beer seeds, beer plant, bees, ginger beer plant, ginger bees, Japanese beer seeds and vinegar bees are a culture of bacteria and yeasts held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria. As with kefir grains, the microbes present in tibicos act in symbiosis to maintain a stable culture. Tibicos can do this in many different sugary liquids, feeding off the sugar to produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide gas, which carbonates the drink.

Tibicos are found around the world, with no two cultures being exactly the same. Typical tibicos have a mix of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus and Leuconostoc bacteria with yeasts from Saccharomyces, Candida, Kloeckera and possibly others. Lactobacillus brevis has been identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide (dextran) that forms the grains. Pidoux (1989) also identifies the sugary kefir grain with the ginger beer plant. There are certainly opportunistic bacteria taking advantage of this stable symbiotic relation which might be the reason for the many different names/distinction in the scientific literature. Different ingredients/hygienic conditions might also change the fungal and bacteriological composition, leading to the different names. This has to be established by further research, however.

People who do not wish to consume dairy products may find that water kefir provides probiotics without the need for dairy or tea cultured products, such as kombucha. The finished product, if bottled, will produce a carbonated beverage.

Origin

At least two references in the scientific literature relate to the origin of the tibi. According to these papers, tibicos forms on the pads of the Opuntia cactus (from Mexico) as hard granules that can be reconstituted in a sugar-water solution as propagating tibicos.

Preparation

Tibicos colony under microscope (200×)

The basic preparation method is to add tibicos to a sugary liquid and allow to ferment 24 to 48 hours. A typical recipe might contain the tibicos culture, fruit, a citrus fruit and water> It is important to use ingredients that will not inhibit the fermentation, such as chlorine in tap water or preservatives in dried fruit (sulfites). The fruits used may be changed and mixed to create difference tastes, but it is important to use citrus or acidic fruit for the safety factor, as a pH of 3.0 to 4.6 is desired.

Additional precautions should be taken to keep the cultures healthy. All the handling needs to be done without using reactive metals such as aluminium, since this can cause considerable damage to the grains^{[citation needed]}. Stainless steel, plastic, ceramic or glass are preferable. Culturing grains in a glass jar with tight-fitting lid and using clean stainless steel or plastic utensils when handling the grains is recommended.

See also

• Kefir
• Ginger beer

External links

• Zoogloea.com Kombucha, preparing the infusion.
• nourishedkitchen.com Water Kefir Tutorial
• (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xal6rz_kefir-user-guide-how-to-make-the-fr_lifestyle) Vidéo to learn how to make the "fruit's Kéfir".