Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I have a question for anyone who knows about fermenting foods. A friend of mine got me into fermenting fruit for health tonics. I just started a batch of pomegranate juice but noticed that the recipe called for almost a 1:1 ratio of fruit to white table sugar. I know that fermenting consumes the sugar, but even after 5 days the juice tastes sweet. I didn't notice any carb symptoms but then again I only tasted a sip. I don't have a glucometer so I don't know what it did to my blood sugar levels. So basically my question is- how do I know when a fruit has fermented enough so that none of the fructose or sucrose remains?

flag	asked Nov 25 2011 at 16:02 Domtx008 427●2●10

Rogue Nutritionist · Accepted Answer · 2011-11-25 20:46:22Z UTC

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I do a lot of fermentation kitchen experimentation, and my rule of thumb is that if it tastes sweet, it's not done. I like my ferments very sour, and I'm very sensitive to sugar, so for me, sour = stable blood sugar and therefore, stable mood.

answered Nov 25 2011 at 20:46

Rogue Nutritionist
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	great info, thanks! generally how long do you find it takes for a gallon jar of fruit to ferment? I read somewhere that there are cases when the sugar never gets fully consumed because the probiotics start to die off – Domtx008 Nov 25 2011 at 20:52
	Fruit ferments much more quickly than vegetables do. I start testing a fruit ferment after two days, and depending on the temperature of my house, it's usually done by four days. All ferments taste better once they age a bit in cold storage though...they're still fermenting, just much more slowly. Sandor Katz of Wild Fermentation is a fantastic resource for fermentation information. – Rogue Nutritionist Nov 26 2011 at 0:53

Nance · Answer 2 · 2011-11-25 23:07:35Z UTC

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I make water kefir and after the initial fermentation it can be described as "mildly sweet" but most of the sugar is gone. For a fizzier drink (yes, just like a fruit soda) you strain it to remove the culture, seal it and ferment again and the remaining sweetness disappears. The final product is mellow and fruity but not sugary. It has almost no impact on my blood sugar.

It's hard to describe, but my water kefir is not sour or bitter--it's like a mellow cider.

answered Nov 25 2011 at 23:07

Nance
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	thanks Nance, this is exactly what I was wondering about. After going moderately low carb (~70g/day), a lot of non-sweet things taste sweet to me, and I am wondering if I am mistaking the mellowness with actual sugar sweetness. My pomegranate tonic currently tastes like a semi sweet wine. – Domtx008 Nov 25 2011 at 23:13
	I'm experiencing the same changes. Things that actually have sugar are now incredibly sweet. And even meat of some types is starting to taste sweet. – Nance Nov 25 2011 at 23:51

Question about Fermenting Fruit

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