Water kefir grains can be mysterious sometimes for beginner and experienced fermenters. Small water kefir grains could be a sign of dying grains but it can also mean nothing. So how can you tell?
Why are your water kefir grains small? Does that mean they’re sick? Water kefir grain size doesn’t really matter in most cases. If you’re feeding them regularly and they are producing a tangy, delicious fermented drink on a 24-48 hour schedule, the grains can be big or small and it doesn’t mean they’re unhealthy.
The size of water kefir grains changes over time but it doesn’t necessarily mean that there are problems with your grains. There are a few questions to ask yourself to determine if small water kefir grains are causing an issue or if it’s just a natural part of keeping a living organism growing in your kitchen.
Small Water Kefir Grains are Usually Not a Problem
While size may matter for some things, it doesn’t matter for water kefir grains except in rare instances. Seeing large grains can make you think that you have a very successful ferment – and seeing small ones can make you start scouring the internet looking for possible solutions to make your grains bigger.
Water kefir grains are different size – some big and some small. The grains grow and shrink throughout their lifecycle and they can also clump together to appear larger. Water kefir grains are made from a colony of yeast and bacteria that create a structure that we call a grain. Sometimes as these grains are expanding, they stick to other grains and start to build onto each other. This makes some grains look extra large and plump.
If you stir your water kefir when the grains are already in it, you can break up these connections, resulting in smaller overall grains. Either way, the grains are totally normal and it doesn’t affect the final product if you have large ones or small ones.
Water kefir grains naturally grow and shrink throughout their life cycle. Young water kefir grains and older ones tend to be smaller as they grow or break down (respectively).
When water kefir grains are at the end of their lifecycle, the older grains start to break down and shrink until they totally dissolve. This is completely normal for water kefir grains and is no cause for concern. The total volume of water kefir grains should not noticeably change when old grains start to break down because new ones should be replacing them.
If you are rehydrating water kefir grains that you purchased or got from a friend, small grains are totally normal. The dehydrating and rehydrating process is really tough on the grains overall and when they are rehydrated in your home, the grains have a lot of work to do to rebuild their colony of yeast and bacteria into large, effective grains. Unless your grains have not grown at all after a few weeks, then you shouldn’t worry about having small water kefir grains.
The only time small grains are an issue is if they are dying. However, totally killing water kefir grains is extremely difficult so if you notice small grains that have changed in color or translucency, or if all of your previously large grains are now shrinking in size or volume, you can still bring them back to life by changing your water kefir maintenance routine. Regular feedings every 24-48 hours, varied sugar sources, and the right balance of acidity and minerals all contribute to the overall health of the water kefir grains.
When you’re a beginner at making water kefir, even if you have done other ferments before, it can be confusing to know what’s normal and what’s not. You should be confident though that if you follow the steps to make water kefir and are consistent, it’s hard to mess up your grains permanently. Even if you make some mistakes and your grains are stressed, there are some simple steps you can follow to recover and keep enjoying your water kefir.
The more experience you get with making water kefir, the easier it will be to identify potential issues and know if your small water kefir grains are something you should be worried about or not.
Small Grains When Rehydrating Water Kefir Grains
All dehydrated water kefir grains are small to start with. When they’re dehydrated, they shrink because all of the water in the grain is removed during the dehydration process. All you’re left with is the bacteria, yeast, and the building blocks of the matrix they live within (ie the “grain” structure).
This makes the grains live in a suspended state indefinitely as long as they’re kept dry, but this causes a lot of stress on them which can cause a lot of anxiety when someone is rehydrating them for the first time.
When you start rehydrating water kefir grains, you are adding water back into that grain structure and the bacteria and yeast themselves, but it’s not until the bacteria and yeast are strong enough to multiply that the grains will begin to grow again.
The grains are very stressed from the dehydration process and when you buy the grains from a company, you may not know how long they’ve been dried for. As you rehydrate the grains, they are coming from a very stressed state and will take some time to recover fully from the process. Based on the temperature, feed source, and maintenance routine that you use, your grains may not start to visibly grow for a few weeks.
This is a normal process, so if you’re rehydrating grains and they haven’t grown yet, there’s no reason to worry unless it’s been more than 3 weeks or if you have never seen it bubble. If the grains are still small, brown, and opaque at that time, it could be a sign that you need to switch up your feeding routine or else the grains did not survive the dehydration process.
Old Water Kefir Grains Can Be Smaller
Water kefir grains contain living organisms and like any living organism, they have a finite lifespan. When the grains age and reach the end of their lives, the bacteria and yeast that were maintaining and growing the structures die off and the structure begins to break down.
When the grain’s structure begins breaking down, the grains start to get smaller and smaller as the individual colony continues to die off. Eventually, the grains dissolve into nothing. You can sometimes see the tiny residues in the bottom of your jar when you are switching out your solution.
This is another example of a natural process that occurs in all water kefir grains. Over time the grains will dissolve, but there’s nothing to worry about because they will be replaced by new grains. You shouldn’t really even notice this happening because the old grains will be replaced by new grains in an equilibrium. If you notice that your total volumes of grains are shrinking simultaneously, you may need to adjust your maintenance routine.
Stressed Water Kefir Grains Shrink as They Die
Having small grains is only a problem when it’s combined with other signs that indicate the overall system is failing. Some key points to watch out for if you’re concerned that your grains might be shrinking due to being stressed are:
- frequent missed feedings, especially over extended periods of time
- change in color from clear or a light tint to brown
- grains lose their translucency and are opaque
- grains are bubbling less and taking longer to ferment the sugar water
- loss in total volume of water kefir grains
Small water kefir grains on their own are not an issue, but if you notice any of the above issues occurring simultaneously, you should look into changing up your maintenance routine with your water kefir grains. These signs indicate that your grains are stressed and will continue to deteriorate over time if nothing is changed.
This is a great opportunity to try out some different sugar sources and experiment with longer and shorter fermentation times. With the right feeding routine, your water kefir grains will rebound and multiply, producing delicious water kefir on a regular schedule.
