lactose utilization, and a lower lactic acid production than fresh grains. The bacterial
profile of the rehydrated grains was also different than the fresh grains.73 This same
group compared freezing, refrigerating, air-drying, and lyophilization to preserve
kefir grains. They concluded after 10 months of storage that freezing and refrigeration
preserved acidification activity, whereas air-drying and lyophilization increased
lag phase and resulted in a lower initial rate of pH decrease.