CUBE ChatShaala Summary – 28.07.2025
Today’s CUBE ChatShaala centered around comparative observations and citizen science experiments in curd formation carried out by participants from different regions—Tarannum from Dehradun, Uttarakhand and Swapnil from Narayangaon, Maharashtra.
Highlights from the ChatShaala Discussion
- Tarannum’s Method (Dehradun, Uttarakhand )
Milk boiled and cooled to 5°C above room temperature.
½ tsp of curd added to 1L milk, stirred well.
Curd formed in 6–8 hours.
Inference : Controlled warm temperature + starter + agitation facilitates curdling.
- Swapnil’s Method (Narayangaon, Maharashtra )
Same initial steps : boil → cool → add 1 tsp starter.
Transferred to a mud pot and left undisturbed for 48 hours.
Inference : Clay pots retain heat longer, allowing slow fermentation.
Tarannum’s Experimental Setup (2-Bowl Design)
Using 1L of lukewarm milk in all three containers:
Container A
- Added 1 tbsp curd and stirred.
Result : Curd formation in 6–8 hrs, and became sour by 20–22 hrs.
Container B
- No curd added, no stirring.
Result : No curd in 6–8 hrs; curd formed after 20–22 hrs.
Sakshi’s idea- Container C
- No curd added, but stirred well.
Result : Similar to B – no early curd, late formation.
Conclusion
Starter (curd) accelerates fermentation.
But even without starter, native Lactobacillus in raw milk eventually leads to curd formation, especially under warm conditions
Stirring without starter doesn’t accelerate the process noticeably.
Provocative Questions for the Community
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Can we identify the specific strain of Lactobacillus active in Tarannum’s kitchen curd?
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What is the source of native bacteria in untreated milk—cow, vessel, air, or hands?
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How does the material of the container (mud pot vs steel) affect bacterial activity and curd taste?
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Is the sourness due only to Lactobacillus or other microbial agents after 20+ hrs?
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Can spontaneous fermentation be replicated using UHT or pasteurized milk?
What I Personally Learned Today
I realized how deeply contextual and location-dependent fermentation is. A simple kitchen experiment reveals a lot about the microbial ecosystem we live in. Even without adding curd, Lactobacillus present in milk or environment eventually initiates fermentation—a powerful example of spontaneous microbial action in everyday life. It reinforced the beauty of observation-based learning in science.
Group photographs during Chatshaala
Reference
@Arunan @KiranKalakotiR @sakshiconsultant2002 @akanksha @akhil @2020ugchsncnseethala @magpie and others