What type of sugar does yogurt and kefir bacteria and yeasts prefer?!
Answers: I posted this in vegan just cause there are probably more people here who would know about this. I would like to lacto ferment some fruits, or just pickle them in live whey. Do the kefir and yogurt cultures like the sugar from fruits? what about the starch in root veggies like sweet potatoes or regular potatoes?
Milk has it's own sugar, lactose, so those bacteria are milk loving which are different from the ones you're thinking of.
I know when you pickle vegetables - cucumbers (pickles), cabbage (sauerkraut) and nappa cabbage (kimchee). You actually salt the vegetables to start the fermentation process. The bacteria that cause fermentation is lactobacillus, but that's a generic class of bacteria. Different strains of lactobacillus react differently to their enviroment.
I'm not sure about fruits and root veggies. usually those are acted upon by yeast and distilled to make alcohol.