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Hello all.
Is it safe to make kefir with raw milk straight from the cow?
I suppose that no many pathogens can survive at pH 4.6 (just tested my kefir), but I don't really know.

Just about all pathogens survive 4.6. But if you know the health of the cow and are sanitary in your milking protocol, you can drink the raw milk.

Quote from: linuxboy on November 08, 2010, 08:59:41 PM
Just about all pathogens survive 4.6.

Oops! Didn't know that 

QuoteBut if you know the health of the cow and are sanitary in your milking protocol, you can drink the raw milk.

Well, they are not my cows so it's not my milking protocol; I buy the milk at a farm nearby. They sell most of their milk to big dairies and of course periodic veterinary controls are made, no doubt their cows are healthy.
But I have no control on their milking protocol so milk could be contaminated anyways. So my concern is if a few, say, Listeria, could grow to dangerous levels while the kefir is acidifying. I can have the milk in my kitchen within an hour after it was milked.

Thank you very much for all the effort you put in answering newbies doubts