What is the correct kefir. Rating of brands of fermented milk products: which kefir is better for weight loss

According to Roskachestvo rating the best manufacturers Kefir is headed by Ostankino 1955, Parmalat, Agrocomplex, Ruzsky and Tommoloko. The list of outsiders includes products containing E. coli. A total of 36 items participated in the testing, 19 of which could not pass one or more checks.

Kefir is one of the most popular fermented milk products among Russian consumers. A quality drink contains a whole complex beneficial bacteria, has a beneficial effect on digestion and cleanses the body of toxins. But how to choose the best kefir on the store shelf? The study of products of popular brands, conducted by the national monitoring Roskachestvo, will help answer this question.

How the testing was done

Quality control was carried out in January 2018 in 14 regions of Russia. Roskachestvo specialists selected products from 36 brands for research. All samples were tested for 35 indicators, the most important of which are:

• the presence of dangerous bacteria - E. coli, staphylococcus and others;
• content of antibiotics, heavy metals and pesticides;
• fat content;
• content useful substances;
• the presence of components that reduce the cost of production, such as starch and vegetable fat;
• the correctness of the information on the packaging.

During the examination, the experts relied on GOST 31454-2012, which regulates the requirements for kefir. Only products that exceeded the state standard could receive the highest rating.

Rating of the best and worst brands

6 trademarks received the highest quality mark. At the same time, 5 samples presented in the table had the highest protein content. It is one of the key components of kefir and improves the absorption of other beneficial substances such as calcium.

Table 1. TOP-5 brands of kefir according to Roskachestvo

Name brand awareness	A photo	Average market price	Volume, ml
		44 rub.	500
		78 rub.	1 000
		54 rub.	450
		120 rub.	1 000
		45 rub.	1 000

Source: roskachestvo.gov.ru, prices from otzovik.com and retail store catalogs

More than half of the samples that participated in the examination of Roskachestvo failed the test. The products of 5 brands turned out to be potentially dangerous: experts found E. coli bacteria in them.

Table 2. 5 worst brands of kefir according to Roskachestvo

brand name	A photo	Average market price	Volume, ml
		43 rub.	1 000
		63 rub.	900
		43 rub.	1 000
		43 rub.	1 000
		43 rub.	1 000

Source: roskachestvo.gov.ru, prices from the site otzovik.com and from the catalogs of retail stores

Test results for the most important indicators

Examination of kefir showed that 19 out of 36 samples contained various violations. Some deficiencies only affect the safety and taste of the product, but in the most severe cases, the drink can be hazardous to health. Let us consider the results of the study in more detail, grouping information according to the most important laboratory indicators.

Presence of dangerous bacteria and mold

The good news: the most dangerous bacteria were not found in any of the samples. A laboratory study showed that all 36 types of kefir are free from Staphylococcus aureus, salmonella and poisonous toxins.

The bad news: as many as 5 samples contain E. coli. The most dangerous strains of this bacterium can cause severe food poisoning and provoke inflammatory processes. E. coli has been found in 5 brands of kefir:

Experts found mold in Okolitsa kefir. The test for the presence of poisonous mold toxin was negative.

Replacing milk with vegetable fat

To reduce costs, dairy product manufacturers often use vegetable fat instead of milk. Such a measure not only worsens the taste and texture, but also negatively affects the health of the consumer. Vegetable fats were found in 4 samples:

• "People's";
• "Pyatigorsky";

None of the listed manufacturers indicated the presence of vegetable fat in the composition. According to experts, such a drink cannot even be called a kefir product. According to Russian laws, only milk can serve as the basis for kefir and kefir product. According to experts from Roskontrol, the presence of vegetable fat in the product clearly indicates its falsification.

fat content

Experts checked how the fat content indicated on the packaging corresponds to reality. There were no surprises: the performance of all 36 samples is in perfect order. True, as mentioned above, the desired percentage is sometimes achieved by adding vegetable fats.

Presence of starch

Another way to reduce the cost of kefir is to add starch. This does not affect the safety of the drink, but it worsens its taste properties. Starch has been found in branded products:

• "Village milk";
• "Good Burenka";
• "People's".

It is noteworthy that in the last sample, the proportion of starch exceeded 5%. The remaining drinks from the listed group contained less than 2% of this substance.

Antibiotics

All tested products met the GOST requirements for the content of antibiotics. At the same time, 9 samples were distinguished by a slightly higher concentration of tetracycline. Experts found most antibiotics in kefir "Davlekanovo" and "Okolitsa".

For real healthy drink must contain a large number of squirrel. This substance contributes to a more complete absorption of calcium and indirectly indicates the quality of raw materials. Too little protein is indicative of one of the following:

• use of low-quality milk;
• adding water to the milk mixture;
• adding excess whey.

In most of the samples tested, the protein content was at least 3% - an excellent indicator. Only 3 brands did not meet the requirements of GOST:

• "Milk patterns";
• "Snowball";

Curious fact: all 3 products are declared as conforming to GOST. As practice has shown, this information can not always be trusted.

Chemical indicators

In addition to microbiological indicators, experts examined chemical composition products. The Roskachestvo methodology is aimed at identifying:

• radionuclides;
• traces of hazardous chemical fertilizers;
• heavy metals.

All 36 manufacturers met the standard with a large margin.

underfilling

Roskachestvo experts are increasingly faced with the indication of an unreliable mass of the product on the packaging. When testing kefir, a discrepancy was found in a single case: the manufacturer Budennovskmolprodukt pours only 450 g of the drink into the package, but indicates the weight of 500 g on the package.

Research results

The researchers failed to identify the unambiguous leader of the rating. The closest to the ideal were 6 products that received the quality mark. They include 5 brands from the top of the best examples, as well as kefir under the brand name "36 kopecks".

Another 11 manufacturers, including such well-known federal brands as Prostokvashino and Domik v derevne, were included in the list of middle peasants. Roskachestvo experts did not find significant deviations in these samples. The remaining 19 items received serious comments from experts. The leader of the anti-rating was the manufacturer Budyonnovskmolprodukt, which failed the test in most key parameters.

Experts note that the quality of the goods is affected not only by the production process, but also by the conditions of storage and transportation. In order not to encounter a spoiled product, buy kefir only in trusted stores and be sure to check the date of manufacture. After opening the package, try to use it up within a day. So you protect yourself from possible spoilage of the drink and get the maximum of useful substances.

Advice: if you don’t feel like drinking kefir, cook something tasty out of it. The drink is great as a base for pancakes, manna or fluffy cakes.

Roskachestvo specialists remind: not every person can drink kefir. The drink is dangerous for patients with stomach ulcers and duodenum. People with high acidity gastric juice it is also worth refraining from using this product, replacing it with milk. When losing weight, kefir will be a useful source of protein and calcium, but for this you should choose a drink with a fat content of 1%.

Age restrictions They work according to a very simple principle: the older a person is, the more useful kefir is for him. Doctors advise older people to completely give up milk in favor of this drink. But for a child under the age of 1 year, a fermented milk product is contraindicated, since it can cause severe irritation of the delicate mucous membrane and even bleeding.

A detailed rating of kefir brands with the results of laboratory testing is available on the Roskachestvo website. A video report on the results of the study was also prepared by the Mir 24 TV channel.

Higher education. Orenburg State University(specialization: economics and management at heavy engineering enterprises).
December 2, 2018 .

Olya Likhacheva

Beauty is like a precious stone: the simpler it is, the more precious :)

Content

The use of fermented milk products is useful for maintaining a figure and digestion in general, but not everyone knows the answer to the question of which kefir is best for weight loss. Freshness, fat content, calorie content and even the temperature of the drink are important. In addition, you can use kefir for weight loss with various additives. There are even complete diets on this product. The instructions below will help you decide which kefir to drink for weight loss.

What should be the composition of kefir

Much can be said about the benefits of this drink. It is not so much in the low calorie content as in the composition. The main advantage is prebiotic bacteria, which help to restore the disturbed low calorie diet intestinal microflora. It is difficult to find 100% natural kefir in the store, so it is imperative to pay attention to the composition of the product. It must contain:

1. Kefir starter. The most useful is considered to contain lactic acid cultures, fungi and yeast. If there is only one of the two in the composition, then the product can already be called curdled milk or pseudo-kefir. You should not choose a drink that contains "sourdough of lactic acid cultures."
2. Protein in kefir is also a must. Protein makes a balanced low-calorie dietary diet, helps reduce appetite, and accelerates fat burning. Protein in the composition should be at least 3%.
3. Calcium. This trace element is also required. It prevents the accumulation of body fat and helps the body burn calories faster.

The packaging should not contain ingredients such as powdered or reconstituted milk, fruit additives, dyes, palm oil and preservatives. These products turn real kefir into a kefir drink. The most useful and natural in this case is farm products. A good kefir may contain:

• pasteurized milk;
• sourdough live bacteria or on kefir fungi;
• lactic yeast and bifidobacteria.

Calorie content of a fermented milk product

When losing weight, one of the important criteria for choosing products is their calorie content. The same applies to kefir. Its calorie content is determined by its fat content. For achievement slim figure it is advisable to choose a drink with the lowest percentage. Calorie content in this case will be about 25-30 kcal per 100 g of product. This low-fat drink has all the benefits without the extra calories.

Kefir which fat content is better for weight loss

In completely fat-free kefir, there is no row beneficial vitamins, so this option should not be selected. In addition, it is also not necessary to completely exclude fat from the diet, because the body needs it. The best option- choose a drink with a fat content of up to 1%. With the use of vegetable oil in the diet, such kefir is suitable. If in your diet fats are completely limited, then choose the option with a fat content of 2.5%.

Best before date

Which kefir is better for weight loss - just made or one that is already a couple of days old? Only a fresh product has positive properties. The term of natural kefir is 7-10 days from the date of manufacture. Only such a period live bacteria in the composition of the drink. A longer shelf life indicates the presence of preservatives in the composition. Sour kefir has the same effect on the body, but:

• has high acidity, which can adversely affect the work digestive system;
• has a strong laxative effect.

The consistency of the product also speaks of the expiration date of the product. In fresh kefir, it is homogeneous. If, when shaking, two layers stand out in the drink - whey and flakes, then this indicates the expiration date. This is also indicated yellow drink, bitter taste and pungent smell. Such a drink is absolutely impossible to drink. The fresh product is slightly sour and does not have strong odor and its color is white.

How to drink kefir to lose weight

Important is not only the question of which kefir is best for weight loss, but also how to drink it correctly. Most nutritionists recommend drinking this drink at dinner or before bed, and for good reason. Kefir owes its powerful fat-burning effect to calcium, which is better absorbed just in the evening. For this reason, a glass of such a cocktail before going to bed really helps to lose weight. In addition to this nuance, it is important to observe the following rules of use:

1. Daily rate. Optimal is 200-400 ml of kefir per day. Larger volume can lead to edema, bloating, severe flatulence.
2. Time of receipt. This drink is useful not only in the evening. An excellent breakfast option in the morning is buckwheat or a fruit mix with kefir. For lunch, to maintain mental activity and suppress the desire for sweets, you can drink a glass of this product with the addition of honey or cinnamon.
3. duration. If this is a kefir mono-diet, then you can’t stick to it for more than 3 days, because this is a lot of stress for the body. With a balanced menu using smoothies, fruits and vegetables, losing weight with kefir can last 7, 10 and even 21 days.

With honey

When answering the question, what kind of kefir is better for weight loss, it is worth noting the possibility of drinking a drink with additives. This will help diversify the diet, and the drink itself will not get bored so quickly. There are many recipes for kefir cocktails, including those with the addition of honey. One of them is prepared like this:

1. Prepare 250 ml of kefir with a fat content of up to 1%.
2. Add a teaspoon of honey to it. It can be replaced with a similar amount of rosehip syrup.
3. At the end, add another spoonful of oat or wheat bran powder.
4. Stir everything until smooth.
5. Use the product instead of the second breakfast or the last meal.

Cinnamon

To increase the fat-burning properties of kefir, you can add various spices to it, for example, cinnamon. In addition to being useful in losing weight, it also improves the taste of the drink. This is especially important so that kefir does not become addictive, and it does not start to bother. Preparing a cocktail is very simple - just add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to a glass of fermented milk drink. It is better to use it before going to bed, so that the process of fat burning takes place in the body at night.

What brand of kefir is better to drink for weight loss

After you have found out which kefir is best for weight loss, you should study the rating of more popular manufacturers. In addition to the name of the product, the review displays calorie content, fat content, some basic characteristics and price. Brands that are in demand and are presented good reviews, such as "House in the Village", "Prostokvashino", "Danone", "Biomax", etc. Moreover, each manufacturer offers customers kefir of different percentages of fat content.

Fat content:

Calories:

• 34.6 calories per 100 g.

Characteristics:

• production - Voronezh;
• expiration date - 13 days;
• storage conditions - 2-4 degrees;
• weight - 1000 g;
• composition - normalized cow's milk with sourdough on kefir fungi, bifidobacteria.

• 80 rubles.

Bioproduct kefir, enriched with bifidobacteria, Activia 1%

Fat content:

Calories:

• 39 calories per 100 g.

Characteristics:

• production - Moscow;
• expiration date - 24 days;
• storage conditions - 2-6 degrees;
• weight - 835 g;
• composition - skimmed milk, cream, dairy cultures, yeast, bifidobacteria actiregularis.

• 93 p.

Prostokvashino

Fat content:

Calories:

• 36 calories per 100 g.

Characteristics:

• production - Vladimir;
• expiration date - 14 days;
• storage conditions - 4-6 degrees;
• weight - 930 g;
• composition - skimmed milk, whole milk, sourdough on kefir fungi.

• 69 p.

Everyone remembers from childhood: kefir is healthy. And thanks to the advertising of products with the prefix “bio”, we learned that biokefir is doubly useful. Whether this is so, "AiF" found out in the "Milk" laboratory of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry.

According to GOST R 52093, biokefir is indeed the most useful of all sour milk: it is natural kefir made by fermenting milk with sourdough on kefir fungi, and also additionally enriched with Bifidobacterium bifidum. Its benefits are in lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria and lactic yeast (all of these are probiotics).

bottled twins

But today, twin brothers have settled on store shelves: biokefir and. With external identity, the difference between them is big: the “product”, although enriched with probiotics, can be prepared not on kefir fungi, but on other kefir cultures, such as lactic acid bacteria, lactobacilli and yeast. This reduces its benefit to the stomach.

Often it contains non-dairy components - pieces of fruit, cocoa products or sugar, and also contains nutritional supplements. “Flavors, sweeteners, stabilizers that give the desired consistency can be used - pectins, gums, starch,” she said. "AiF" Elena Yurova, head of the laboratory "Milk". - Information about their use manufacturers should indicate in the composition of the product. These substances cannot be in ordinary biokefir.”

“Alas, most of the probiotic fermented milk products today are kefir products, and not the classic enriched kefir based on. For their preparation, modern, most often imported, starter cultures, kefir cultures (lactic acid bacteria and lactic yeast) and bacterial concentrates (sourdoughs, mostly dry. - Ed.), - says Roman Gaidashov, expert of the Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights "Public Control".- They are called “stop crops”. Manufacturers choose them for economy. They are cheap, easy to manufacture, and increase shelf life.”

The mechanism of operation of "stop starters" is as follows: after the product is hermetically sealed with a lid, living microorganisms freeze. Such a drink can be stored for two weeks or more, although ordinary kefir prepared on kefir fungus has a shelf life of 5-7 days. And as soon as you open the package, the stop culture “comes to life” from the access of air and microorganisms begin to multiply at a tremendous speed, the product quickly turns sour - you need to drink it during the day.

“In Soviet times, it was not allowed to use imported sourdough for the production of fermented milk products,” says R. Gaidashov. - All strains of starter microorganisms were stored in special institutes, which were the holders of real "libraries" of pure cultures. They were strictly monitored and not subjected to genetic and other changes. It's out of control now."

Pretending to be helpful!

We sent five samples for examination to the testing laboratory "Moloko" of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry: bio-kefir "Bio Max", kefir "Bifidok", bio-kefir "House in the Village" and at the same time two sour-milk kefir bioproducts "Activia" and "Bio Balance".

Experts checked the presence of live bifidobacteria (they are also called probiotics) - they are designed to enrich the intestines, displace them, and help maintain immunity. In addition, we found out if the bottles contain lactic acid bacteria and yeast that are beneficial for digestion. It is the presence of yeast that indicates that kefir is fermented with sourdough on fungi, and not with a concentrate with a “stop effect”. The result surprised everyone: some “products” turned out to be no worse than supposedly natural bio-kefir! (See table.)

So, the kefir bioproduct "Activia", the leader of our test, with lactic acid microorganisms turned out to be all right. They did not deceive with the amount of bifidobacteria. There is even yeast, as in biokefir, although by law they might not be. The product "Bio Balance" as a kefir bioproduct is enriched with two probiotics at once - bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. But it lacks lactic acid bacteria.

The bio-kefir “House in the Village”, which we bought, actually proved to be only a kefir bio-product. The examination showed that the amount of yeast is less than normal. Bifidok was not kefir either. It has a shelf life like a real biokefir - only 7 days. But experts have established that it is difficult to call this thick mass with white lumps kefir in terms of taste, smell and consistency. The number of bifidobacteria falls short even of the kefir product. The lactic yeast required for biokefir was not found at all.

The biokefir manufacturer Bio Max also did a trick with sourdough. The amount of yeast is less than normal. That is why it is difficult to call it a real biokefir. It turns out that the products just “pretend” to be useful? Alas, yes. “It is possible to find real kefir, made according to the correct technology, on the shelves, sometimes such samples are found at examinations,” R. Gaidashov is sure. - Don't focus on price. It’s better to look at the label (what to look for - see infographic) and trust your taste: real kefir is slightly “sharp” in taste, with a slight yeasty flavor and sourness.”

How to buy a healthy drink, not a "pacifier"

Real kefir and biokefir can be recognized by the data on the packaging:

1. they are stored no more than 7 days;

2. in their composition there is always a starter on kefir fungi, and there are no flavors, sweeteners, thickeners and dyes;

3. if you leave an open bottle of kefir in the refrigerator for a day, it will not turn sour;

4. the label must indicate the number of lactic acid microorganisms at the end of the product's shelf life - at least 1x107 CFU / g. And the amount of yeast - not less than 1x104 CFU / g.

The buyer will never know for sure from which milk raw materials kefir is made. Often, not first-class milk is used, but skimmed, normalized or - and even worse - recombined (mixed from milk powder, whey, milk fat, water). It is also a secret for us where the sourdough used in kefir was produced.

But how to choose kefir correctly and figure out the widest range goods, which is presented in the modern market?

What should be a real, natural product?

Today, stopping at the shelves with a huge number of various varieties of kefir, it is difficult to make right choice . It seems that all options are equally good, but they are not.

Among this abundance there are natural kefirs, and there are pseudo-kefirs which are of no use.

Knowing will help you make the right choice simple rules:

About the composition

And now a little more about the composition. When choosing kefir, it is very important to pay attention to compound, which must be indicated on the packaging.

Also included may be lactic yeast and bifidobacteria, in this case, kefir is called biokefir and is especially useful for the gastrointestinal tract, it is even prescribed for people in the postoperative period for recovery and is not harmful to people with allergic reaction for dairy products.

Reconstituted milk is a mixture of powdered milk powder (soy) and, which, of course, does not mean naturalness.

O harm today can be heard from various sources.

The quality of a fermented milk product directly depends on protein level. The most correct ratio is 3-5 percent protein for any percentage of fat content. But such a percentage, unfortunately, is not common today.

It is also worth noting that the benefits of kefir largely depend on fat content. Fat content 3.2 allows you to combine, in addition to organic acids, fats, proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins: beta-carotene, PP, B1, A, B2 and vitamin C, famous for its antioxidant effect. Calorie content 3.2 is 56 kcal., in comparison, one percent kefir contains only 28 calories, but 3.2 more useful for good health.

In addition, kefir is divided into types not only by fat content, but also by consistency. Solid and liquid drinks may not differ in chemical composition, but differ in cooking technology. In order to end up with dense composition, fermentation takes place in bottles, and in order to liquid- in special containers, and then bottling takes place.

What is the composition of kefir, we examined, but the question chemical composition kefir requires a more complete, detailed study.

Chemical

Natural kefir 2.5 percent fat (250 g) has the following chemical composition: fat contains 5 g, proteins 2.9 g, carbohydrates - 4 g, which is 53 kcal in total.

In addition, this product contains about 90 g of water, 7-8 mg of cholesterol, 1-1.5 g of saturated acids, 4 g of sugar, about 0.7 g of ash, 120 mg of calcium, 01 mg of iron, 14 mg of magnesium, 90-93 mg phosphorus, 140-150 mg of potassium, necessary for normal operation of cardio-vascular system, 50 mg sodium.

From vitamins 2.5 kefir contains riboflavin, or B2, at the rate of 0.2 mg per 100 g of the product, niacin, or B3 0.1 mg, vitamin A 22 mcg, beta-carotene 10 mcg, retinol 20 mcg.

natural kefir 3.2 percent fat content (250 g) has the following chemical composition: fats - 3.2 g, proteins 7-8 g, carbohydrates - 10 g, which is 147 kcal in total. Water is 220 g.

In addition, it contains: cholesterol, 22-21 mg, about 5 g of saturated acids, 1.7-2 g of ash, about ten grams of sugar.

In one percent low-fat kefir, the content of vitamins and trace elements very scanty, almost equated to zero, but the calorie content of the product is no more than 40 kcal per 250 g.

According to GOST, the shelf life of natural kefir is seven days(in sealed packaging). To eat overdue kefir is not allowed. It is also very important to follow the instructions on the package. temperature mode. As a rule, the temperature regime varies from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius.

You can store kefir in open packaging no more than three days, in a refrigerator. The exception is a kefir product containing dyes, flavors and preservatives, it stored longer, but has no benefit to the body.

Comparative analysis of well-known brands of fermented milk products

Now, having learned what the ideal kefir should be, let's compare a few brands, which can be seen in each . For comparison, let's take: House in the village, Agusha, Prostokvashino, Nestle, Piskarevsky, Tasty day, Tyoma.

Today great popularity dairy products of the manufacturer "House in the village" are used. Kefir has the following compound: normalized milk, reconstituted milk, sourdough. Term validity 15 days.

Dairy Agusha designed from eight months. As the advertisement says, Agusha kefirs and curds promote growth and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Compound Agusha kefir includes whole milk, skim milk and sourdough on kefir mushrooms. Term validity 9 days.

Company kefirs Prostokvashino consist of whole milk, skim milk, sourdough.

Term validity 14 days.

As seen the most natural is Agusha kefir, because its expiration date from the above list minimum, although, given that a natural product has an average shelf life that varies 5 to 7 days.

It is also worth mentioning that the presence in the composition of reconstituted milk indicates the presence soy powder, because reconstituted milk is not natural milk, but a mixture of powdered milk and water.

Children's curds

And now let's talk about cottage cheese, which, as a rule, are bought for children. Most often bought curds of the Swiss company Nestle.

Curds intended for for baby food consist of: cottage cheese, sugar, cream, vegetable, lactose, thickener: acidifier and, iron diphosphate, lactic acid and zinc sulfate. In addition, there are fruit supplements. Expiry date 1 month.

Popular today and curds Topic. They have more simple composition: normalized milk and sourdough. Best before date 12 days in sealed packaging and no more than 12 hours in open packaging.

Exactly the same composition as that of the Topic has cottage cheese "Delicious day": normalized milk, sourdough. But the shelf life is shorter 10 days.

Grainy cottage cheese "Piskarevsky", which for many years was considered the best, has the following composition: curd grain, salt, cream,. Best before date 5 days.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that Piskarevsky cottage cheese, despite its short duration, has invalid element, . Curds "Nestlé" also can not please naturalness, but “Tasty Day” and “Theme”, on the contrary, are quite natural.

Results

And two words in conclusion.

Dairy products have incredible benefits for the body, but only if their composition meets the basic requirements, if the products are natural, and do not consist of preservatives and dyes.

We conducted a comprehensive study of the largest brands of manufacturers of fermented milk products, examined the main issues related to product quality.

Now, faced with a choice, you know what rules you need to be guided when buying kefir or cottage cheese. We wish you a successful purchase and good health.

As part of the rolling study of Roskachestvo, kefir of 47 brands was studied on 35 quality and safety indicators, 36 of which were tested in 2018, and 11 in 2019. The sample included the most popular federal and regional brands among Russians. Most of the products are produced on the territory of the Russian Federation (in Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Vologda, Voronezh, Kaluga, Leningrad, Moscow, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Ryazan, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, Tver, Tomsk, Tula and Yaroslavl regions, Kabardino-Balkarian and Chuvash Republics , the Republic of Bashkortostan, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg). In addition, the study included kefir of three brands from the Republic of Belarus. The cost of one package of kefir ranged from 22.77 to 149 rubles at the time of purchase (the study presented products in packages from 450 g to 1 kg). According to the results of laboratory tests, kefir of 13 brands was recognized as high-quality products that meet not only the mandatory requirements of the law, but also the increased requirements of the Roskachestvo standard: “36 kopecks”, “Avida”, “Agrocomplex”, “House in the village”, “Milk grace” , Nezhegol, Ostankinskoye 1955, Prostokvashino, Ruzsky, Svitlogorye, Tommoloko, Yarmolprod and Parmalat. After conducting a technical analysis of the state of production, including determining the level of localization, a decision will be made to assign the Quality Mark to Russian goods. Kefir under the trademarks "36 kopecks", "Agrocomplex", "Ostankinskoye 1955", "Ruzsky", "Tommoloko" and Parmalat has already been awarded the Quality Mark.

RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM STANDARD

The Roskachestvo standard for kefir, in terms of its main parameters, imposes more stringent quality and safety requirements relative to the current GOST. Thus, potential contenders for the Russian Quality Mark should not contain starch and antibiotics. The level of localization of kefir production in order to be awarded the Russian Quality Mark must be at least 85%.

The study of kefir is one of the most popular among Russians. After its publication, letters from consumers from different parts of Russia began to arrive on the portal, social networks and the Roskachestvo mobile application with a request to explore kefir of other brands: federal and regional, large and local. In order to take into account all requests and not leave a single letter unattended, we decided to make the study regular. Over time, it will be replenished with the results of testing kefir of new and new brands.

Microbiology in kefir

Save the bad news for later and start with the positive:

No dangerous amounts of radionuclides were found in kefir. All studied kefir is radiologically safe.

In all samples, the content of heavy metals does not exceed the maximum permissible level.

The studied kefir did not contain organochlorine pesticides.

As far as microbiology is concerned, the tested kefir is free from the poisonous mold toxin (Aflatoxin M1), Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and pathogens (including Salmonella).

Finally, the bad news: E. coli bacteria have been found in five brands of kefir. it "Budennovskmolprodukt", "Davlekanovo", "Dairy products from Dubrovka", "Dairy plant "Stavropol"" and "Sun of Kuban".

– Kefir is a complex product,

- explains the head of the laboratory of technochemical control of VNIMI, candidate of technical sciences Elena Yurova. - In the production of natural kefir, live sourdough is introduced into the already normalized milk mixture by the technologist. Therefore, it is important that the conditions in the enterprise are close to ideal: clean surfaces, containers. Then there will be no problems. But if there is even a slight violation of the production conditions... As long as the technologist opens the container *, while he introduces the leaven, while he mixes it, bacteria, including bacteria of the Escherichia coli group, can get into kefir. They will not develop for a long time, but at some point they will still make themselves felt. Ready kefir is stored in a household refrigerator, and there is just a favorable atmosphere for the development of bacteria. There is another option: the production conditions were ideal, without failures, but coli began to develop already when kefir was on the counter of the store. Therefore, if E. coli is found, it is dangerous anyway.

* In many factories where the starter is introduced automatically, the main source of contamination is the starter itself. If there are problems during its production, then microbes get into kefir from the starter (Note. ed.).

In addition, in kefir under the brand name "Outskirts" mold was found. Information about these violations was transferred to the control and supervisory authorities.

However, it is important to note that the listed violations were discovered in 2018. In kefir, studied in 2019, there were no violations in terms of microbiological indicators. Thus, we see that the conditions for the sale of products are improving. Retailers are working on quality, and products reach the consumer without spoiling.

How to make kefir cheaper?

…through the addition of vegetable fats

The situation with kefir is by no means terrible, but antibiotics have not bypassed him either. Thus, trace amounts of antibiotics of the tetracycline group were found in the products of nine brands, the penicillin group - in kefir of one trademark. But all these quantities do not exceed the norms established by law.

– Residues of veterinary drugs, including antibiotics, controlled in dairy products are so small that they can only be detected in milk with very complex laboratory methods, - notes the executive secretary of the technical committee for standards for dairy products TK 470 / MTK 532, head of the standardization group of the Dairy Union of Russia, candidate of technical sciences Larisa Abdullaeva. – At the same time, the sensitivity of such research methods should also be very high. Remains medicines appear in the product from the milk of those cows that were treated. According to the law, such milk should not be supplied to the plant, but, apparently, one of the suppliers decided not to comply with the strict prescriptions of veterinarians and simply “chased profit”, and the plant, having accepted the milk and checked it for all indicators, “did not see” such low concentration of antibiotic.

Formally, the manufacturers of these products will not be considered violators - the amount of antibiotics in the samples of these brands does not exceed the established technical regulations. However, such kefir does not meet the increased requirements of Roskachestvo and will not be able to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.

underfilled

Manufacturers that deceive consumers by the weight of the product can already be put on a separate “black” list. Experts have found similar and at research of kefir. And let there be only one case, but it exists. So, the actual net weight of kefir "Budennovskmolprodukt" is 450 grams with the declared 500 grams. That is, the consumer pays for about 10% of the void.