Transferring Lactobacillus to Newspaper

The next step is to transfer the lactobacillus serum to newspaper. I used two different recipes and methods to do this.

The first recipe was given to me by my teacher and it calls for 6 parts lactobacillus serum to 1 part molasses. This recipe requires a lot of lactobacillus, so I only made 2 batches from this mixture. I also used much thicker newspaper in this recipe. The thicker newspaper has to be soaked longer, and I'm hoping that I will be able to rip them into smaller pieces when they are dry.

The second recipe I got from bokashicomposting, and it called for 1 part lactobacillus serum to 1 part molasses to 6 parts water. Since this recipe required much less lactobacillus I decided to make the remainder of my batches with this recipe. I also did the soaking process a bit different. For these batches I soaked smaller individual newspaper pieces. This took much longer, but in the end I think it will be worth it.

After the newspaper has soaked for a while I took it out and drained all the excess liquid out of it . I then placed the newspaper in a large plastic bag and squeezed out all of the air out before sealing it. The next step is to let it sit for 10-20 days in a cool area. I'm currently on day six, so I have a while to go.

What is Bokashi?

Translated from the Japanese language, the term bokashi means "fermented organic matter". The process of Bokashi composting reflects its definition in the sense that it uses anaerobic fermentation to break down organic matter. The fermentation process occurs through the use of effective microorganism (EM) which were discovered by Dr. Teruo Higa of Okinawa, Japan in the 1970s. Now a days EM can be bought at local gardening stores. The EM sold in stores consist of a blend of over 80 microorganisms that aid in the decomposition process of organic matter. Of these microorganisms, lactobacillus, yeast, and phototrophic bacteria play the largest roles in the fermentation process.

Lactobacillus is present in many consumer food products, a few examples are yogurt, cheese, beer, wine, along with other fermented products. Lactobacillus is the primary fermenting microorganism in the bokashi process. Lactobacillus is a strong sterilizing compound that suppresses harmful microorganisms while also enhancing the decomposition of organic matter.

Yeast is the alcoholic fermenter, and its job is to synthesize useful substances.

Phototrophic bacteria such as Purple non-sulfur bacteria (Rhodospirillaceae) grows onto the yeast and accelerates decomposition.