Making “Yogurt” from L. Reuteri 6475 Probiotics

by Nils Osmar. Updated October 12, 2022 Medical Disclaimer

L. Reuteri 6475 is a remarkable probiotic which has been shown to have anti-aging benefits in both females and males. In women, it protects against fractures from age-related bone density loss due to osteoporosis. In males, it increases testosterone, increases testicular size, and promotes social dominance in the animals receiving it. (Some men have commented anecdotally that they believe their core masculinity has increased after taking it, and that their testosterone levels did increase.)

L. Reuteri 6475 an effective but expensive supplement. One way to lower the price while increasing the number of probiotics we’re consuming it is to culture it in some milk, cream, goat’s milk or coconut milk like a yogurt.

You will need:

• Two BioGaia Osfortis capsules (Note: some people prefer to use BioGaia Gastrus tablets which they’ve ground into a powder. Either works, but the Osfortis capsules contain more of the bacteria we’re trying to culture.)
• Two quarts of whole organic cows’ milk.
• Two teaspoons organic sugar  (optional)
• One teaspoon of inulin (optional)
• Alternative: to get the biggest bang for my buck, I sometimes use one Osfortis capsule and four ground-up Gastrus tablets. The gastrus tablets contain one additional beneficial probiotic. The flavor is milder and slightly sweeter when I use both.

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Step-by-Step:

• The safest way to make yogurt is to boil then cool the milk first.
• Put the liquid (milk or cream) in a saucepan. Heat it to boiling. After raising it to a full boil, keep it at a low boil for 20 minutes.  Then let it cool for an hour or two, till it’s down around 99-100 degrees. (To cool it faster, run some cold water in a sink and put the pan in it, being careful not to get any of the water in the boiled milk)
• You might want to test it with a cooking thermometer to make sure it’s 100 degrees or less.. 98.6 degrees is an ideal temperature for L. Reuteri, as it’s the internal temperature of the human body.
• Use a sterile jar with a lid to culture it in. I use a mason jar which I first sterlize in a microwave oven.
• After adding the powder from the capsules (and optional sugar), put a lid on the jar and put it in the oven with the oven light on. Or if you have a yogurt maker, place it rack an inch above the heated surface (I used a little metal rack that lets the heat pass through. (Most yogurt makers are too warm to grow L. Reuteri.) 
• Leave it in the oven, or on the rack above the yogurt maker. Stir it now and then. Stir it now and then. Incubate it for 36 hours. The incubation time will go down on subsequent batches.
• The result we’re aiming for is a creamy, delicious fermented product that looks and tastes like, and has the texture of, Greek yogurt

Should You Add Sugar or Inulin?

• Adding a little sugar and/or inulin is optional. You may not need any if you use milk as your base, because the lactose in the milk is a natural sugar (and the one L. Reuteri likes best).
• With that said, I’ve found that even when I make it using milk, a little sugar (a teaspoon or so for a quart of yogurt) sometimes does help the fermentation process and make the yogurt less sour.
• if I use cream, which has no lactose to speak of, I add sugar or inulin. The L. Reuteri that you’re culturing need something to use for food during the fermentation process or they’ll starve and die.

Alternatives

For creamier yogurt, add 1/2 pint of cream before boiling the milk.

For thicker yogurt, make a batch then use some of it as the culture for the next batch (along with a new capsule of L. Reuteri). In my experience, each subsequent batch made this way gets thicker.

You can use cream or coconut milk instead of cow’s milk as the foundation for the yogurt if you like. If you do so, you will need to add some sugar (sucrose) (or another caloric sweetener such as honey) to support the growth of the L. Reuteri.

Goat’s milk will also work, but the yogurt will be more thin and runny.

Update: An even easier method

Here’s what I do when I don’t have time to boil the milk. I can’t promise it’s as safe as boiling it; do it at your own risk; but it works as well for me.

• I buy ultra-pasteurized organic milk (which should in theory be sterile).
• I sterilize a big glass measuring cup in the microwave oven, and sterilize a small glass jar with a lid.
• After both containers have cooled, I pour 1/2 cup of milk into the small glass jar, add the L. reuteri powder (from one Osfortis capsule and four ground-up Gastrus capsules) and about a tablespoon of inulin powder, put the lid on and shake it well… then pour a quart of milk into the sterilized measuring cup… then pour in the (shaken) milk and inulin powder.
• No need to stir.
• I put a lid on the measuring cup and put it somewhere warm to culture.
• It usually makes amazing yogurt when done this way. If it separates, that’s great, I used the whey to start the next batch (which will usually not separate).

“Can I use another brand of L. Reuteri?”

BioGaia owns the patent on L. Reueri 6475. So if you use another brand it won’t be the same strain. They’re not identical; some strains of L. Reuteri, for example, fatten mice up instead of slimming them down.

So you can if you want, but the results may not be what you’re expecting.

Other Recipes and Approaches

Dr. William Davis has published a somewhat similar recipe on his website. Many people have used his recipe and love it. So you may want to check it out. But when I tried using it, it didn’t work well for me. It resulted in lumpy, runny yogurt.  So I stopped trying to emulate his approach, and went back to doing it the way I describe above.

What if it turns into Whey?

• One “problem” with homemade yogurt is that it often separates into curds and a thin liquid whey. If this happens you can scoop out the curds and drain the whey.
• I used to toss the whey when this happened. But I’ve found that it’s actually a delicious and nutritious drink. Like the curds, it’s a rich source of probiotics.
• Taste is subjective, of course. Some folks may find whey too sour and acidic. But to me it’s like a “cheap or free” alternative to probiotic drinks like kombucha. (Cheap or free because I used to toss it until I learned how rich in probiotics it is.)

What if it’s Sour, Thin or Runny?

• If it’s sour, it usually means the bacteria you’re culturing ran out of lactose. You might add a little sugar next time.
• If it’s runny, I just drink it like a kefir instead of trying to use it like yogurt. Then I use part of it along with another capsule of L. Reuteri to start a new batch. If I do this, I usually add a teaspoon of sugar and one more L. Reuteri capsule. I may also add a teaspoon of inulin.

What if it Smells Bad?

• If the end product smells bad or is slimy, it may have been contaminated with some stray bacteria (from the air, the container you’re culturing it in, or a spoon. If it tastes or smells bad, don’t drink it or use it as a culture medium.

This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.

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