For the third decade, this question has been haunting the minds of drivers, pregnant women and young mothers. No one wants to become their own enemy, but it’s also a pity to completely abandon your favorite dairy product. Next, I will tell you if there is alcohol in kefir and how dangerous it is.
In the production of kefir, mixed fermentation is used: sour-milk and alcohol. Theoretically, there is enough lactose in milk to get up to 2% alcohol. But part of the lactose is processed by bacteria into lactic acid, and for the development of alcoholic fermentation, a suitable temperature is needed – 18-30 ° C, at which no one stores fermented milk products. Therefore, only a small part of lactose has time to be processed into alcohol. Subject to GOST and proper storage, the alcohol content in three-day kefir does not exceed 0,6%, two-day – 0,4%, one-day – 0,2%. Only the last two species are used in baby food.
Source of panic
Academician Fyodor Grigorievich Uglov, who devoted his scientific life to the fight against drunkenness, was the first to speak about the problem of alcohol in kefir. In the 80s, he raised a panic in the Soviet press, arguing that feeding children with kefir leads to early alcoholism and the gradual degradation of the population. He was supported by the notorious teetotaler Zhdanov, who added that this was all a well-planned operation by Western intelligence services.
According to the calculations of Uglov and Zhdanov, every Soviet child, drinking 600 grams of kefir a day, receives a dose of alcohol equivalent to 50-60 grams of vodka. Given that kefir was used in baby food in the USSR from the mid-50s to the early 90s, today the consequences of its devastating impact must be horrendous. Several generations would turn into alcoholics in early childhood. A video with Zhdanov’s speech has been preserved, fans of science fiction will like it.
Fortunately, total alcoholization did not happen, which is the best refutation of Uglov’s theory. And twenty years ago, several studies by the Ministry of Health and a broad information campaign helped calm the population.
Kefir and kvass for drivers
There is still a low concentration of ethyl alcohol in kefir and kvass, which is also obtained by natural fermentation. Under certain circumstances, this can become a problem for motorists, threatening to lose your driver’s license. In order for the breathalyzer to show a zero result, you need:
1. Drink only fresh, properly stored kefir. After 1-4 hours at temperatures above +18 ° C, the alcohol content in kvass and kefir increases sharply.
2. Refrain from drinking these drinks 15 minutes before driving or rinse your mouth with water and brush your teeth before driving.
In the first minutes after a glass of kefir or kvass, the breathalyzer can give out up to 0,3 ppm. The fact is that all breathalyzers analyze the exhaled air. For a short time, the concentration of alcohol vapor in it increases, but this does not mean that the person is drunk, just the drink has not had time to be absorbed into the stomach. In practice, it has been established that after a maximum of 15 minutes, the readings return to zero values. The main thing in this short period is not to meet with the traffic police.
3. 60 minutes before the trip, do not drink more than 3 liters of kefir or 1,5 liters of kvass, theoretically, if this threshold is exceeded, ethyl alcohol can enter the bloodstream.