Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

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Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby salto on Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:51 am

After several succesful batches, my soya (and other beans) tempeh fermentation is no longer working properly. I have no clue because I did not change the routine or utensils. The fermentation starts at the sideparts and then stops after about 24h. The middle part stays unfermented, the sideparts get very hard. I do not know where to look for a solution because I do not know what is going wrong. Am desperate to spoil so much food! I really hope any of you has a clue. Thank you very much.
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby cerbu on Fri Dec 28, 2018 4:50 am

maybe it got cold , what is your incubator setup like?
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby Christopher Weeks on Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:54 am

Are there holes in the bags?
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby salto on Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:02 am

Thank you Christoffer and cerbu. Yes, there are holes pinched in the plastic back, at small intervals, 1-2 cm. And I use a Brod&Taylor proofer set at 30 degrees C. The tempeh feels warm. I tried to manage the issue by lowering the temperature to 27 degrees after 24 hours, to no avail.
I do not understand what is happening.
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby cerbu on Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:29 am

than it is too warm , I had that aspect before I removed from incubator at about 16H mark. Monitor your temperature, It might count where the proofer's probe and heating element are. Remove the packs when they start to produce their own heat(~15 h) and leave them the rest of the fermentation time coverd in corner, or just unplug the incubator
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby salto on Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:53 pm

Thank you so much cerbu, sounds as an ovbvious reason. I will try immediately and report back!
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby terji on Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:26 am

Hi,

I think too warm as well, what I do is to stand the bags up from the moment tempeh can support itself then you will get a nice airflow on both sides and in the middle -
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby Durand on Sat Dec 29, 2018 2:24 pm

The Brod&Taylor proofer does not have a thermostat, it produces a continuous amount of heat, depending on temperature setting. So you have to measure temperature with thermometer. The rack in the Brod&Taylor proofer is also close to the heating plate, maybe heat accumulates under the tempeh. You need to lift the rack. Hope this helps!
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Re: Fermentation stops for no apparent reason

Postby salto on Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:20 pm

Thank you all so much for your response. It was a great help.
Indeed Durand, the rack is close to the heating plate so I lifted it a bit to let more air circulate. And terji, your composition is so funny, it looks great, have to try that myself as well, it's a splendid idea.
The good news is, I finally got a good batch of tempeh, adzuki bean tempeh this time. I lifted the rack a bit and after about 22 hours the fermentation started, the tempeh got warmer and the first white spots appeared, I unplugged the incubator. Some 24 hours later I had a lovely, completely colonized adzuki tempeh.
The fermentation earlier stopped because of the heat, so much is clear to me, thanks to all of you. Although I did not change the routine or utensils, one thing changed: climate. We have winter here, the central heating is on, the climate (temperature, humidity) in the house has changed compared to November. Maybe that was part of the problem. I am very glad I no longer have to throw away food.
Thank you all and a very happy new year.
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