by Dr. Davis | Jun 19, 2022 | Microbiome | 24 comments
Lactobacillus gasseri, L. gasseri, is one of the most important gastrointestinal (GI) microbes of the thousand or so species in the human intestinal microbiome. It is likely a “keystone” species, i.e., a species that is important for the proliferation and metabolism of numerous other microbes, perhaps even the composition of the entire GI microbiome. And, like Lactobacillus reuteri, it is a microbe that many of us have lost due to antibiotics and other factors.
The key features that make L. gasseri a standout among microbes includes its ability to 1) colonize the upper GI tract, and 2) produce bacteriocins, natural antibiotics effective against species such as E. coli, Klebsiella, and Staphylococcus, the species of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO. It is my suspicion that widespread exposure to antibiotics and other factors that have reduced or eliminated important species like L. gasseri and L. reuteri that colonize the upper GI tract and produce bacteriocins are major factors responsible for the epidemic of SIBO that, by my calculations, afflict 1 in 3 Americans or >100 million people. Restoration of these two microbes can therefore be part of the solution as we do in my recipe for SIBO Yogurt (recipe in Super Gut: commercial sources, fermenting temperature, selection of prebiotic fiber).
But L. gasseri shines for other reasons, also. Among the observations made with this microbe (various strains):
- L. gasseri reduces perceived effects of stress
- L. gasserireduces visceral fat and reduces waist circumference. Two human studies with two different strains of L. gasserihave reported this effect. While some speculate that this is accomplished through increased fat oxidation (fat “burning”), I propose that it is due to the reduction in LPS endotoxemia from its upper-GI colonizing and bacteriocin-producing effects.
- L. gasseri reduces bothersome “hot flashes,” i.e., the vasomotor symptoms of menopause. It also improves a woman’s menopausal psychological status.
- L. gasserireduces the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Once again, I believe that L. gasseri’sunique abilities reduce the upper GI infestation of SIBO microbes responsible for many cases of IBS.
- L. gasserireduces symptoms of functional dyspepsia, i.e., “heartburn” after a meal.
- Preliminary evidence suggests that L. gasserimay reduce uric acid and oxalate levels.
- Preliminary evidence suggests that L. gasserican reduce cognitive impairment.
- Preliminary evidence suggests that L. gasserisuppresses Candida albicans overgrowth.
These are the effects of just one microbe.
Are you gaining an appreciation for the extraordinary power we have in reconstructing a healthy microbiome? For those of you interested in replacing this lost microbe, the evidence is best for the BNR17 strain available commercially that we then use to ferment foods such as organic half-and-half for 36 hours to generate hundreds of billions of microbial counts for larger biological effects.
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Rebecca Buchmann on August 9, 2024 at 9:22 am
I accidentally used inulin in stead of sugar when making a batch of gasseri yogurt. Do I need to remake it or will that be okay?
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Bob Niland on August 9, 2024 at 1:26 pm
Rebecca Buchmann wrote: «I accidentally used inulin in stead of sugar when making a batch of gasseri yogurt. Do I need to remake it or will that be okay?»
If it turned out as expected (see this☑checklist), then no re-make is needed.
As I recall, when I first made it, I also used inulin (having no sugar in the house).
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Kevin Dunn on March 13, 2024 at 3:52 pm
Both recipes online say to heat it for 36 hours at 100F.
https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/l-gasseri-superfood-yogurt/
While others here are saying at ahigher temp of 109F. Why are you guys much higher than them?! Confused
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Bob Niland on March 13, 2024 at 5:35 pm
Kevin Dunn wrote: «Both recipes online say to heat it for 36 hours at 100F.»
Arguably, only one recipe says that, as the Luvele page is clearly using the CEC starter, so probably relying on the CEC instructions. And as an aside, your Comment got thrown into moderation due to containing two links, which seems to be a long-standing threshold on this blog.
re: «While others here are saying at ahigher temp of 109F. Why are you guys much higher than them?!»
I have not seen an explanation, nor dug into the lit, but my conjecture would be that the program recipe is based on growth rate studies, and 109°F🌡43°C is where the rate peaks.
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Neil Oscar Fletcher on February 2, 2024 at 8:08 am
I have been consuming the SIBO yogurt for 15 weeks now and have managed to reintegrate several foods I had previously had problems digesting. Notably, dried fruit, citrus fruit, chocolate, onions, and leeks. All of which irritated my chronic “mild” gastritis. I also burp less, this may also have to do without cutting out grains, but I really believe these “missing” microbes are helping my gut, and I’m grateful.
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See AlsoLactobacillus Gasseri – A Miracle Probiotic - Fermented Foods and ProbioticsCan the Probiotic Lactobacillus Gasseri Help You With Weight Loss?LACTOBACILLUS GASSERI: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews7+ Lactobacillus gasseri (L. gasseri) Probiotic Benefits - SelfDecode SupplementsMaria Moleski on March 23, 2023 at 2:54 pm
I have already made the other 2 yogurts for SIBO and will be making this l. gasseri in the next few days. Can you please tell me if it makes a difference whether or not you mix the 3 together, or can you just alternate the 3 different yogurts? Thanks very much in advance.
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Bob Niland on March 23, 2023 at 5:11 pm
Maria Moleski wrote: «I have already made the other 2 yogurts for SIBO and will be making this l. gasseri in the next few days.»
You might consider saving some of that initial batch as ice cubes for use as future L.g. or SIBO blend starter.
re: «Can you please tell me if it makes a difference whether or not you mix the 3 together, or can you just alternate the 3 different yogurts?»
As far as I know, that’s an option; mix at serving time, or consume separately in a daily rotation. If you ferment separately, be aware that the optimal temperature for each species&strain is different.
Due to having originally made each yogurt separately, when I make the SIBO blend, I use 1@ slowly-thawed starter ice cube of each component yogurt, for convenience.
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rpfarris on November 23, 2022 at 6:43 am
I ordered the LR Superfood and L.Gasseri Superfood starters from Culture Food Life, and the instructions that come with the starters say to ferment both at 100 degrees. I re-read that several times and then checked my Super Gut book to make sure that it asks for 109 degrees for gasseri, but it does mention in the book that I should pay attention to instructions that come with starters. So I started a quart of reuteri and a quart of qasseri at 100 degrees.
After 36 hours the reuteri was puffing proud of the jar, but the gasseri was mostly whey. From previous experiments with yogurt I knew that the first batch made with spores (as opposed to pre-made yogurt) commonly came out separated, so I figured that I just needed to make another batch using the partially separated output created in the first batch. So I started another batch with a quart of reuteri, a quart of gasseri, and a quart of 2T of each, expecting this time to get creamy “fermented dairy.”
This time, the reuteri came out slightly separated, but almost entirely curds, the combo of reuteri and gasseri was about 2/3s curds, but the l.gasseri was, at most, 1/4 curds.
So, as near as I can tell, gasseri *can* be fermented at lower temperatures, but the growth curve is much slower.
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Bob Niland on November 23, 2022 at 11:12 am
rpfarris wrote: «I ordered the LR Superfood and L.Gasseri Superfood starters from Culture Food Life…»
I presume you mean: Cutting Edge Cultures
re: «…and the instructions that come with the starters say to ferment both at 100 degrees.»
That’s a little surprising, because my understanding agrees with yours that the optimal temp for Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17 is 109°F. More below.
re: «After 36 hours the reuteri was puffing proud of the jar…»
Yeah, don’t fill the fermentation vessel(s). These probiotic yogurt recipes are somewhat expansive. Iuse a large pot, but generally suggest filling smaller vessels to 80% max.
re: «So, as near as I can tell, gasseri *can* be fermented at lower temperatures, but the growth curve is much slower.»
It can. The program SIBO blend uses a bargain temp of 106°F. In general, given adequate substrate, bacteria containue to multiply down to freezing temp, just more slowly.
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rpfarris on November 24, 2022 at 4:35 am
I bought my starters from Donna Schwenk at Cultured Food Life.com.
I’m going to make another batch of l.gasseri fermented at 109 degrees this time and prove that my only error was in temperature. I will report back.
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scoot miller on November 1, 2022 at 5:37 pm
I am using (from Amazon): Yogurt maker, Automatic Digital Yogurt Maker Machine with LCD Display, 8 Glass Jars 48 Ozs, Stainless Steel Design,Auto Temp Control for $41. Works well with 8 small jars (good for water bath) and up to 40 hrs timing
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Susanne Hafer on September 24, 2022 at 9:05 am
I can’t find anywhere to buy L.Gasseri BNR17. Would anyone be able to send a link?
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GoingHome on September 24, 2022 at 9:20 am
Look at Amazon. Search in Health, Household and Baby Care for BNR17. Look for the 10 count pack from AceBiome. It will ship from Korea probably much faster than the estimated time.
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Bob Niland on September 24, 2022 at 10:26 am
Susanne Hafer wrote: «I can’t find anywhere to buy L.Gasseri BNR17. Would anyone be able to send a link?»
It was available on Dr. Mercola’s store site, but within the last 48hr, that now redirects to his store on Amazon … and the BNR17 Biothin product is not listed.
Is that not-listed-yet, or is there some wider issue afoot? Idon’t know.
GoingHome: «Look at Amazon. … AceBiome.»
Now that is very interesting. AceBiome appears to be a recent seller on Amazon. In the listings I looked at, they are the only seller (comforting sign) and the shipper (also comforting), so that might be the way to get BNR17 in the US now.
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GoingHome on September 24, 2022 at 11:09 am
I ordered from AceBiome (at Amazon) and the shipping was fast from Korea. It was well packed.
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Neil Oscar Fletcher on February 2, 2024 at 8:00 am
I bought my L. Gasseri BNR17 on Amazon France
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littlexln on August 30, 2022 at 7:39 am
I ordered the CNCM I-5076 strain by mistake. Does anyone have info on the effects of this strain? Would it be beneficial to combine it with the BNR17 strain? Thanks!
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Bob Niland on August 30, 2022 at 7:58 pm
littlexln wrote: «I ordered the CNCM I-5076 strain by mistake. Does anyone have info on the effects of this strain?»
I don’t, and the Inner Circle resource hasn’t anything on it yet. You’d have to dig into the papers on it vs. BNR17. CNCM (Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes, at Institut Pasteur) is a recognized type culture repository, so is apt to be more broadly reported on than as a proprietary designation.
re: «Would it be beneficial to combine it with the BNR17 strain?»
That just doubles the uncertainties. If you have some BNR17, why not just brew that?
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littlexln on August 30, 2022 at 8:46 pm
Thank you. I’ll look into the resource you sited. I don’t have the BNR17 but I will soon.
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GoingHome on June 21, 2022 at 5:56 am
Thanks Bob once again for providing helpful information here. Yes, sous vide is the way to go for these “yogurts.” I’ve never used a sous vide immersion device, but can say that the costly devices from SousVide Supreme work great (and not just for making yogurt).
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S S on June 20, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Our main yogurt at home is a mixture of (2) reuteris, gasseri BNR17, and casei shirota. We “cook” it at 104* for 36 hours and it comes out perfect every time.
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KarLy on June 20, 2022 at 11:54 am
I was considering a new yogurt maker, and some of them have preset temperatures. According to Super Gut the L. gasseri should ferment at a higher temperature than say 104 degrees. Will this lower temperature be as effective in fermenting L. gasseri?
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Bob Niland on June 20, 2022 at 1:32 pm
KarLy wrote: «I was considering a new yogurt maker, and some of them have preset temperatures.»
More below on that.
re: «According to Super Gut the L. gasseri should ferment at a higher temperature than say 104 degrees.»
Yep. It wants 109°F (43°C), but the present program leader on this is Bacilluscoagulans GBI-30,6086 which is happiest at 115-122°F(46-50°C).
re: «Will this lower temperature be as effective in fermenting L. gasseri?»
I’ve not actually seen a growth curve for L.gasseriBNR17, but the SIBO yogurt blend, which includes BNR, uses a bargain temp of 106°F(41°C), so I would conjecture that 104 would work, just more slowly. However, unless the device is already in hand, I’d reject it and keep looking.
To cover all the program yogurts to date, the incubation solution needs to be able to hold any temp between 100°F(38°C) and 115°F(46°C). If I were looking for a new solution, I’d actually want 95-125°F(35-52°C) for future flexibility. With most “yogurtmakers”, it can be a challenge just to discover what temps they have presets for. They tend to be designed around conventional short-ferment yogurts using conventional cultures.
The next requirement is that the device has to be able to hold the temp for at least 12hours before shutting itself off, so that you can get some sleep and/or head out for daily activities. Ideally, the device would hold for at least 48hours, if not indefinitely. Some “yogurtmakers” conk out at 4hours:afail.
The next requirement, especially for a cold-start device, is avoidance of hot spots during warm-up, to prevent over-temp in the ferment. In general water-bath devices are ideal. An immersion sousvide usually does the trick.
Depending on how reliable your power is, a further consideration is device recovery from power interruptions. At my rural location, glitches are common, and cause many devices to reset & forget what they were doing. Putting the maker on a UPS is an option there, but not very economical.
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KarLy on June 20, 2022 at 7:23 pm
I appreciate your detailed reply. Will be looking at an immersion sous vide setup. Thanks.
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