Miller's vs Angel Acres eggs. Let's compare PUFAs and the omega ratio.

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July 15, 2025

***This blog post is a response to our amazing customers asking soooo many questions about this. When that happens, we know we need to dive in. We never want to put down another farmer, and we love Angel Acres. But, we also want to give you all the info you need to make informed food choices.

AT A GLANCE

Both Miller's and Angel Acres eggs are pastured raised, vaccine and antibiotic free, and are fed a chemical-free corn & soy free feed. Super natural (and not in the alien way)!
Miller's does NOT add any colorants to the feed, so the yolk color will 100% depend on what the chickens are foraging for. Angel Acres adds a small amount of marigold to their feed. Marigold is a natural colorant that can affect the yolk color, especially in larger amounts.
Miller's discloses every ingredient in the chicken feed. Angel Acres doesn't publicly disclose every ingredient, but it does tell you things is does NOT contain. I bet they'd tell you more if you ask.
Angel Acres' eggs have less PUFAs in their eggs. But, it's not a precise comparison because of how each farm tested and presented their data. Ours have 1.8g per 100g of egg (yolk + white). Angel Acres has 0.8g of PUFAs per 4 eggs (testing the yolks alone).
Miller's eggs have a better omega 6/3 ratio than Angel Acres. Ours have a 4:1 ratio. Theirs have a 6:1 ratio.
Miller's eggs have 10% linoleic acid. Angel Acres has a better ratio of 6%. Both ratios are much better than any other eggs tested, which had 16-26% linoleic acid.
Angel Acres has a 8.35 PUFA %. When it comes to PUFAs, that's better than Miller's. Ours eggs have 18.37. However, both are better than any other eggs tested, which had 23.6+.
Miller's has a 1.93 saturated to PUFA ratio. Angel Acres has a 4.88. When it comes to low PUFAs, the higher the better. Both beat all other eggs tested, which were 1.3 or less.

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Last year, we did nutritional testing on our chicken eggs and discovered they're amazingly nutritious.

They had lower PUFAs, a better omega 6/3 ratio, and more vitamins compared to the 3 other eggs we tested. We tested against the cheapest most conventional eggs in the supermarket, the best national regenerative eggs you can buy in the store, and a local competitor selling pastured corn & soy free eggs. You can read more and see the egg test results here.

Ever since we released the results in December 2024, we've gotten A LOT of questions about how our eggs stack up to Angel Acres, specifically when it comes to PUFAs. After all, Angel Acres is all about low PUFAs! It's kinda their #1 goal, and I'm so happy there's an egg farmer out there focusing specifically on this.

Reducing PUFAs is a nutrition trend right now. It's along the lines of eating the way our ancestors did, with no seed oils.

Cheap seed oils have inundated the food world. Corn oil, soy oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, etc. It's everywhere and in everything and can have negative health results (sometimes serious) when over-consumed. It's just one more reason that Americans, on a whole, are so sick. You can read more about PUFAs here.

Reducing PUFA intake is more than choosing ingredients. What animals eat affects the PUFA content of the food they produce.

It's fairly easy to reduce your PUFA intake by reading food labels and swapping out ingredients in recipes. But... when it comes to an animal-based ingredient itself, what the animals eat and how they live affect the PUFA content in the eggs, meat, and dairy. Here's where it's important to choose your farmer.

So... how do Miller's chicken eggs stack up to Angel Acres' eggs? Let's dive in.

Miller's and Angel Acres have a lot of natural farming practices in common.

We're both ensuring your food is truly natural. It's produced with respect for the land, has the best health outcomes for our animals, and has the least toxins.

✔ Pasture Raised

✔ Vaccine Free

✔ Antibiotic Free

✔ Chemical Free

✔ Corn & Soy Free Feed

This is just awesome! Although natural farmers can be considered competitors with each other, I really don't view it that way. Natural farmers are all working towards a common goal. We're part of the same movement and support each other!

The purpose of this blog post is to answer a common question we've been getting so you can make the most informed food choices. You deserve that.

Miller's does NOT add any colorants to the feed, so the yolk color will depend on what the chickens are foraging for. Angel Acres adds a little marigold to their feed, so the yolk color may be a little more orange.

Yolk color was actually the reason why we did our egg testing in the first place. We really wanted to find out if our light colored yolks had equal nutrition to orange colored yolks. My hypothesis was that yolk color doesn't matter, and that was proven true!

In other words, we wanted to show that orange yolks don't equal pasture raised and therefore more nutrient dense anymore. It was a happy surprise to get such stellar nutritional results, too!

To elaborate just a little bit, colorants are added to basically all chicken feed in the US now. They can be synthetic (like artificial dyes) and they can also be natural (like marigold or paprika). Egg yolk color is aesthetic and superficial, not an indicator of egg quality (like it was decades ago).

Sure, there's a viewpoint that marigold and paprika have health benefits for birds. It's kinda like a supplement, and I get that perspective. But, in my opinion, it's not 100% necessary for optimal health.

Miller's chooses to NOT add any colorants to the feed. Why? That's so we can keep a very close eye on what the chickens are foraging for and the health of the flock. We love love having that egg yolk indicator. And that's why we called our eggs "honest yolk" eggs.

Miller's discloses every ingredient in the chicken feed. Angel Acres doesn't disclose every ingredient, but it does tell you things is does NOT contain.

We believe you deserve to know everything about your food. Our chicken feed contains a blend of oats, rolled wheat, peas, alfalfa hay leaves, barley, fishmeal, sesame meal, raw liquid goat whey, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. You can read the nitty gritty feed details here.

But not every farm feels the same way. Some like to keep their feed ingredients private. This is what Angel Acres is choosing to do. They publicly tell people the ingredients that are NOT in their feed... but not what's actually in it. They are so nice. I bet if you asked them they would give you more info.

Angel Acres' eggs have less PUFAs in their eggs, but it's hard to say exactly how much because of how we each present our data.

Our test results were done by mixing the yolk and white together. Our results show how much of each thing is in there by weight (for example how many mg of __ per 100g of egg). We give you access to a spreadsheet with the raw data from our egg test results. This is so you can do your own analysis. Again, you deserve to know everything about your food.

We know definitively that our eggs have 1.8g of PUFAs per 100g of egg. This includes the yolk plus white, not the shell.

Angel Acres tested their egg yolks only. Since the yolk contains nearly all the fat, it should be sufficient when looking at PUFAs. This is why their results have an amount "per 4 eggs" stat.

Angel Acres says their eggs have 0.8g of PUFAs per 4 eggs.

So how do we compare? If we estimate that an egg is about 50g. That means that our eggs have 3.6g of PUFAs per 4 eggs, higher than the 0.8g in Angel Acres' eggs.

But again, because of the differences in testing, I'm not 100% sure if this is an accurate comparison. What I do know is that, among all the eggs we tested and all the eggs Angel Acres tested, both companies had lower PUFAs compared to any other eggs.

Miller's eggs have a better omega 6/3 ratio than Angel Acres.

Our eggs have a 4:1 omega 6/3 ratio. Angel Acres' eggs have a 6:1 ratio.

For some context, the ideal ratio humans should be eating is a 1:1-4:1 ratio. So, Miller's eggs have a better PUFA balance compared to Angel Acres.

Which is more important? The ratio or the total PUFAs? Only you can make that choice for yourself.

Miller's eggs have 10% linoleic acid. Angel Acres has a slightly better ratio of 6%.

This is the amount of linoleic acid divided by the total of all fatty acids. The lower the percent, the better.

Both brands have much better percents compared to all the eggs tested, which ranged from 16-26%.

Angel Acres has a 8.35 total PUFA %. Miller's has a 18.37 total PUFA %.

This is the total PUFAs divided by the total fat. When it comes to PUFA intake, the lower the ratio the better. All other eggs tested had 23.6+.

Miller's has a 1.93 saturated to PUFA ratio. Angel Acres has a 4.88.

This is the total saturated fat divided by the amount of PUFAs. If you're looking for the lowest PUFAs possible, the higher the number the better. Both companies had all other eggs tested, which were 1.3 or less.

I think the bottom line is that your egg choice depends on your priorities.

If eliminating as many PUFAs as possible is your #1 goal, then Angel Acres has us beat. They're the best low PUFA eggs I know of. That's their jam. But, if you're looking for balanced fat intake and max public transparency, Miller's is the way to go.

What do you think? Are you on the low PUFA bandwagon? Why or why not? Are there any changes you'd like to see with Miller's eggs?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment below to share your thoughts with our amazing community, or contact us to keep it private 😊

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Sources:

Salt and toxic heavy metals? We swapped our salt with a cleaner one!

Are you choosy when it comes to the salt you use? Yea, Miller's is, too. On the one hand, we want natural (not highly processed) salt packed with minerals (including metals like zinc and magnesium). On the other hand, we don't want an overload of toxic heavy metals and microplastics. So, when Jesse from Dream Salts reached out about his pink Himalayan sea salt last year, I was skeptical. I told him that I needed to see some test results before the team could even consider switching salts. Jesse pulled through, and I'm super happy with the results. Our new pink Himalayan sea salt has half the amount of lead compared to Selina Naturally's Celtic Sea Salt. It also had no microplastics detected at a low LOQ (limit of quantification). "Normal" table salt is highly processed. Table salt starts as something natural - salt mined from the earth. But then, it goes through some heavy processing. This removes all impurities, including all those minerals that are beneficial for us. Once it's purified, an "anti-caking agent" is typically added. This prevents the salt from caking, especially when it's humid out. In fact, that's where Morton Salt got its famous slogan - "when it rains it pours"! Iodine is a common anti-caking agent, and it's probably the most natural one, too. Consuming a little bit of iodine is absolutely necessary for optimal health. But, as with most things, getting it naturally is best. You can get iodine naturally from seaweed, fish Greek yogurt, milk, and eggs. Plus, the iodine added to salt is typically lab produced. Other anti-caking agents might be used in table salt, too. These may include calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate, ferrocyanides like sodium ferrocyanide (E535), potassium ferrocyanide (E536), and calcium ferrocyanide (E538). Table salt is usually finer and dissolves more quickly. It also has a sharp flavor. Sea salt is more natural. Sea salt isn't highly processed. It's salt that was naturally occurring in the ocean, either today or a long time ago. There are 2 kinds of sea salt: From the ocean: This is when sea water is let to dry. The water evaporates, leaving the salt behind. Ever get out of the ocean and find your skin left with a whitish hue? That's salt that dried on your skin! Selina Naturally's Celtic Sea Salt is dried from today's Celtic Sea.From the land: This is from a salty body of water that dried up a long time ago. For example, Redmond Salt is from the ancient Sundance Sea in Utah. And, pink Himalayan salt is mined in Pakistan from mountains near the Himalayas. When salt is naturally occurring and not processed, it's packed with minerals which we need for optimal health. It's like a natural supplement! On the flip side, it also can contain impurities like sand, shells, rocks, clay, and pollution (and sometimes anti-caking agents are added, too). Think about all the pollution in today's oceans. Yup, that can reside in sea salt harvested from the water! Microplastics in today's oceans can make their way into sea salt. It's no secret that our oceans are filled with plastic, slowly getting churned smaller and smaller into more and more microplastics. I read somewhere that an average human contains a credit card's worth of plastic inside them now. Wow! Microplastics are a fairly new thing, and more research is needed. But, they seem to potentially cause a host of problems including reproductive, digestive, and respiratory issues, and may even be linked to cancer. This is why I was pretty excited to see Dream Salt's test results. They tested for a range of microplastics, and none were detected at the low LOQs of 5-50 parts per billion. Love that! Minerals are good. Toxic heavy metals are bad. Sea salt is packed with minerals that we need - magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, calcium, selenium, etc. These are good to consume. But, some of these that we commonly call "minerals" are actually metals. Some metals like magnesium and zinc are good for us (of course in moderation) but some we don't need at all and can be toxic and cause damage, even in smaller amounts. The top 4 toxic heavy metals to watch for are arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. You may remember a blast of muckraking articles about sea salt last year. They specifically called out Selina Naturally's Celtic sea salt for its high levels of arsenic and lead. In fact, their lead issue is now part of a lawsuit. Yeesh! And, wow, we use their Celtic sea salt. What's going on here? To start, Miller's of course assessed its choice in sea salt. Basically, we're using sea salt for its minerals, and that comes with all kinds of metals and is in every sea salt (of course unless it's processed). We felt that, in the amount we use it, it was not harmful to anyone. Let's look at this through the lens of Mike Adams, the Health Ranger. He has a scale to rate the cleanliness of toxic metals in products. And this scale relates to the end product, not each ingredient. When it comes to salt, only a little bit is in each bite, so any level of contamination gets diluted. Selina Naturally's salt on its own rates a low B, with 489 ppb of lead (or 0.489 ppm). Our new Dream Salt also rates a B, but much closer to an A, with about half the amount of lead at 269 ppb (or 0.269 ppm). When we have an opportunity to reduce toxins, we do it! The Actual Test Results Because you deserve to know and see everything... I'm happy to announce that we're not only selling this pink Himalayan sea salt, but we're also using it in our fresh dairy products and sausages made from this point forward. Hooray! As an FYI --- There are other foods we offer that still use Selena Naturally's Celtic sea salt. We'll be slowly working with our small scale makers to make the switch across the board. But, it will take some time! What sea salt do you choose? What's most important to you when choosing a salt? What do you think about our salt switch? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below to share your thoughts with our amazing community, or contact us to keep it private 😊 ----- Sources Sea Salt vs. Table Salt: What's the Difference?We Test Every Lot Of Celtic Sea Salt®Consumer Wellness Center Labs

Gut strengthening colostrum: What is it? Powder vs liquid? How to use it?

Colostrum is the first milk a cow produces after it gives birth. All mammals make colostrum as the "first milk". Yup, human mommies too! Also known as "liquid gold", colostrum is a super special dairy item. It's not only important for newborn health. It also has some amazing gut healing and immune boosting properties for older mammals, too. Because of this, some people choose to take colostrum as a supplement or give it to their furry family. But, gee, there are a bunch of colostrum options out there! And each has its own pluses and minuses and dosing recommendations. And, when it comes to raw liquid colostrum, there isn't much info out there at all. So, I made this resource for you that answers these questions. I hope it helps you make the best choice for you when it comes to food and natural healing 🙏 Here we go! What is colostrum? Colostrum is the first liquid a mammal produces within the first 4 days after it gives birth. You can think of it like it's a super charged milk. A mammalian body produces colostrum for good reason: It's essential for optimal newborn health. Compared to milk: Colostrum is usually thicker and more yellow.Colostrum is filled with immunoglobins to boost a baby's immune system, like 5,000%+ more. This helps protect young ones from illness. Colostrum has lots of growth factors, at least 2x more. This helps a newborn develop a strong and healthy gut.Colostrum has 2-5x as much protein. First colostrum can have up to 15% protein!Colostrum generally has more vitamins. Most notably, it has at least 47x more Vitamin E and 2x more Vitamins D and B2.Colostrum generally has more minerals, most notably it has 4x more zinc.Colostrum has more fat, at least 66% more.Colostrum at least half the amount of sugar (AKA lactose). This makes it generally easier to digest. Can see why colostrum can be called "super charged"? What's in colostrum that makes it a healing food? I could get super science-y here. But, I'll do my best to keep it simple. Antimicrobials = Enhanced Immunity and Gut Health Colostrum is packed with immunoglobins (AKA IgG antibodies) and other immune-boosting constituents like oligosaccharides, lactoperoxidase, lysozyme, and lactoferrin. Working synergistically, they help protect the body against foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, and allergens. Getting these via colostrum can help your body learn what to do and enhance the function of your immune system! Once your body knows what to do, it can more easily do the same thing the next time. They can also help restore balance in your gut, helping keep the numbers of "bad bacteria" in check. Did you know that humans pass this antimicrobial goodness to their babies via the placenta? Cows don't do that! And that's why cow colostrum is specifically and seriously packed with antimocrobials. Immune regulators = Help Fight Infections and Restore Balance Colostrum contains immune regulators like cytokines and leukocytes. These can help prevent, treat, and even destroy harmful bacterias and viruses. Gut issues are typically fraught with an overpopulation of bad microbiology and an underpopulation of the good microbiology. Removing the bad stuff can immediately reduce inflammation. And creating better balance can allow for gut healing, Growth Factors = Promote Healing and New Growth Colostrum contains so many kinds of growth factors, from the common peptides to things that can fall into categories like glutamine, nucleotides, and polyamines to super important insulin-like growth factors, too. Growth factors do exactly what they sound like they do - they encourage growth. So let's say your gut lining is damaged (or really anything in your body is damaged), colostrum can help it rebuild more quickly. What's the difference between powdered and liquid colostrum? Liquid colostrum is simply straight colostrum. It's milked from a cow and either consumed immediately or frozen for later use. It's the purest, most bioavailable, and most potent form of colostrum. All of the healing powers are intact. Powdered colostrum (and the capsules and tablets made from it) started as frozen liquid colostrum. Then, it's generally pasteurized and freeze dried. Now both of those processes can reduce, inhibit, or destroy certain healing properties of colostrum. In short, the less processing, the more healing powers. Plus, with powdered colostrum, the final product may be altered from its original composition. For example, it might have the fat removed, or maybe they put additives in there for anti-caking, preservation, etc. This can negatively affect the synergistic healing qualities of colostrum. With liquid colostrum, is there nutritional loss with freezing? The longer colostrum is frozen, the more probiotic loss. For this reason, I don't recommend freezing colostrum for more than 3-6 months. I mean, it will still have some good stuff in it. But why waste those amazing healing properties? If choosing liquid colostrum, how much should I take as a supplement? First things first, if you're new to dairy, especially raw dairy, take it slow! You definitely don't want to shock your body, especially when you're trying to heal something. Take a teaspoon, and see how you feel over the next few days. Then slowly up the dose and reduce the timing until you find a regimen that works best for you. You can't OD on colostrum. On the other hand, a little bit goes a long way. Most people taking colostrum as a supplement use about 1-2 oz per day. It's like a daily shot of liquid gold. What's the difference between first milking and second/third milking colostrum? Well, it's just like it sounds. First milking colostrum is from the first milking after a cow gives birth. It's the most potent and contains the most healing properties. Second/third milking colostrum is from the second and third milkings after a cow gives birth. It's not as potent but still has great healing powers. You can always take more second/third colostrum to get the same benefits as first. It's also important to note that this is not an exact science. Every batch of colostrum will vary. Why? Every cow/calf combo is different. Plus, the time between birth and milking will vary. I mean, we won't know if a cow gives birth at midnight, so we can't go out there and immediately milk her on a special schedule. What about the calves? Do they get any colostrum? Of course! We know how important it is for optimal health, so the calves always get first dibs on colostrum. We take whatever is leftover, whatever they don't drink from their mom. Our colostrum inventory is always limited. This is the nature of colostrum. We can't just make more now. We need to wait for a cow to give birth. It always in and out of stock, sometimes for shorter on longer periods of time. And, if you ask when it's coming back, we may not have a direct answer. This is because we don't know the exact day cows give birth (that's nature's decision). And probably more importantly, the calf always gets first dibs. We never know how much will be left for us (sometimes there's none). The bottom line is that you've got to get our colostrum when it's available. Is colostrum part of your life? Powder or liquid? If yes, what benefits have you seen? I'd love to hear from you. Comment on the blog to share your thoughts with our amazing community, or just click reply to keep it private 😊 ----- Main Source Bovine Colostrum: Its Constituents and Uses

Why it's nearly impossible to avoid maltodextrin in fermented dairy.

AT A GLANCE: Maltodextrin is a simple sugar used to jumpstart freeze dried cultures in fermented dairy.Maltodextrin is a lab-produced ingredient. Overconsumption can result in negative health outcomes.Trace amounts of maltodextrin are in (nearly) ALL dairy products (yogurt, kefir, cheese, etc), but you won't find it on a food label. Why? Maltodextrin (and other additives) only need to be disclosed if they're more than 1% of the final product. The difference with Miller's is that we tell you about the nitty gritty details like this one.There's, at most, 0.0025% maltodextrin in our fermented dairy. Can we round that to zero?Miller's dairy contains maltodextrin that's "certified for organic".The only way to create fermented dairy without maltodextrin is to use a wild culture. The drawbacks are you need to maintain those cultures, they are inconsistent, and might even stop working over time. ---------- If you dove deep on our website and clicked on a product to get all the nitty gritty details, you may have noticed the "Honest Disclosure" section. That's right. We believe you deserve to know everything about your food - the big, the small, the good... and even the bad. On most of our fermented dairy (cheese, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, etc), you may have noticed a message saying that the freeze dried culture contains a trace amount of maltodextrin 😱 And you may have thought, "What!? I thought they made the most natural food around!" You're right. We do aim to provide you with the most natural foods around, from the farming practices to how they're made in small batches. We want you to have max nutrition and the least toxins possible. And honestly, we're not thrilled to have even a trace of a trace amount of maltodextrin in our fermented dairy. But, sadly, there's simply no way to do that nowadays, especially considering the demand for specific flavors, consistent textures, and a reliable food source. Like seriously, when it comes to maltodextrin, the only difference between Miller's dairy and any other dairy (whether from a supermarket or a farm) is that we did the research and are actually telling you about it. We don't need to. It's not required. But... you deserve to know. So, what's going on with maltodextrin? There's so much more to this story! Keep reading to be a smart natural food shopper and get all the info. What is maltodextrin anyway? Maltodextrin is a sugar, a very simple sugar. Scientifically speaking, it's "short chains of glucose units", a type of "oligosaccharide". Maltodextrin is 100% a lab-produced ingredient. They take a starch (a complex carbohydrate that your body would digest into sugar) and break it down using enzymes or acids. The result is a simple sugar. Labs are basically cutting that long, complex chain that makes up a starch into shorter, simpler segments. Maltodextrin can be made from a bunch of different kinds of starches - corn, wheat, rice, potato, cassava, etc. In the US, it's most commonly made with corn. Depending on what the maltodextrin is derived from and how it's made, it can have different properties and uses. It's most commonly dried into a white powder but can also be found in syrup form. Maltodextrin is used in food as a stabilizer, thickener, anti-caking agent, and bulking agent. I mean, it's in soooo many processed foods. It can also be used in livestock feed or healthcare products as an easily digestible sugar source. Maltodextrin does NOT need to be certified organic in healthcare products (supplements, etc). But, it does need to be certified organic in livestock feed and foods that are certified organic. What would make maltodextrin certified organic? It's how it's broken down. According to OMRI (the Organic Materials Review Institute that approves things for organic use), maltodextrin made with acid is NOT certified organic. Maltodextrin made with enzymes is certified organic. Apparently they believe the enzymatic way is considered "natural". Why would people want to avoid maltodextrin? The FDA classes maltodextrin as a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food additive. That being said, there are known risks to consuming maltodextrin, especially in larger amounts (which you can absolutely get from processed foods). Here are some potential negative health consequences of overconsumption of maltodextrin: High cholesterolWeight gainType 2 diabetesBlood sugar spikes (particularly in people with diabetes or insulin resistance)Imbalance of gut bacteriaAllergies or intolerances (to corn or wheat) with a range of side effectsExposure to GMOs (when derived from GMO corn) Keep in mind that any of the above side effects typically arise from consuming maltodextrin in large amounts. A trace amount usually won't negatively impact your health unless you have a severe allergy to it (or what it's derived from or made with). What is a freeze dried culture? Freeze dried cultures are surprisingly old. They originated in the late 1800s as a way to preserve the best cheese and dairy cultures and share them over distances. But the technology didn't become really good and reliable until the mid 1900s. That's when they started becoming popular. The process to make them is fairly simple. Like, you can totally do it at home (maybe you've done it with sourdough starter...?). But... for best accuracy and use, freeze dried cultures are best for commercial use and are made in labs nowadays. Here's how it's done: 1- Strains of microorganisms are isolated and grown. The first cultures were made by letting raw milk grow wild. Then, each strain of bacteria, yeast, etc was isolated. This can be done with a particular solution or by putting fermented raw milk on a medium that only supports a specific kind of microorganisms. It's kinda like terrain theory here. Nowadays, labs generally aren't isolating their own cultures much. Instead, they're maintaining cultures separated a longtime ago. It's kind of like culture makers are literal "micro farmers" growing microorganisms. But, instead of planting in the soil, they let each culture grow in pasteurized milk or a specific growing medium (like some kind of something scientific in a petri dish). And, it's 100% in a controlled lab environment. There might be one type of lactic acid bacteria multiplying in one tray and a certain kind of yeast in another. 2- Strains are freeze dried. Each isolated strain is usually freeze dried individually. A freeze dryer is a freezer... but with a vacuum that removes the air. Cool! You could freeze dry anything in a regular freezer, but it would take much much longer. The vacuum element of a freeze dryer makes it so any water turns right into vapor (or dries out) instead of turning to ice. 3- Strains are mixed together to make a specific culture "recipe". It's like a recipe. It might be 3 parts Bifidobacterium lactis, 2 parts Lactobacillus acidophilus, and 1 part Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The specific strains mixed together are what give each fermented dairy product it's unique texture and flavor. Other ingredients might be added for specific reasons. Sugars (like maltodextrin or sucrose) help keep the culture in good condition and aid it in coming back to life when used. Enzymes (like lipase) might be added to give better flavor. Or colors (like annatto or synthetic dyes) might be added for a desired yellow or orange color. Why is maltodextrin added to freeze dried cultures? In cheese cultures, maltodextrin has a double purpose. It's an anti-caking agent, keeping the culture as a powder... not an unusable clump. It's also a simple sugar that gives the culture something super easy to digest as it comes back to life. Without maltodextrin, freeze dried culture issues would be quite common. They would stop working or have spotty success. How much maltodextrin ends up in the final product? Maltodextrin is used in small amounts in a freeze dried culture. Maybe with some cultures it's more, but with ours, it's less than 1%. Just a little bit is needed. I'm not sure about this with other dairy makers. But, I can tell you how much culture is in Miller's dairy items. For our cheese, about 1/2 tsp of culture is used in 1lb of cheese. For our fresh fermented dairy like yogurt or kefir, about 1 teaspoon of culture is used per quart of milk. There are 96 teaspoons in a pound of cheese and 192 teaspoons in a quart of milk. So, culture alone is 0.5% or less of the final product. And, if maltodextrin is less than 1% of the culture, we're talking less than 0.005% maltodextrin. On top of that, once the culture is added, it eats up that maltodextrin immediately. I mean, that's the whole point. It's a quick simple food to get those freeze dried cultures active again. Let's say that only half of the maltodextrin is eaten by the cultures. Then there would be less than 0.0025% maltodextrin in the final product. Can we round that to zero...? You see where I'm going. This is why we are ok with the level of maltodextrin in our cheese cultures. We absolutely wouldn't choose it as an ingredient. But, as it stands now, the only cultures available have maltodextrin. If you know of one that doesn't, please let me know!!! If I'm NOT shopping at Miller's, how can I find out if maltodextrin is in my food? Maltodextrin is only required on an ingredient list if it's more than 1% of the final product. If it's less than 1%, then it's not required on a food label, because it's considered a "trace amount". 1% and 0.0025% are very different trace amount levels but are treated the same when it comes to labeling. In fact, when shopping for cheese cultures, maltodextrin typically isn't listed as an ingredient. The only way to find out is to look at the Safety Data Sheet or to call the manufacturer and cross your fingers that they'll talk to you. I think that most farms or dairy makers that get this question would simply say, "Nope, there's no maltodextrin." But, that's not the way we roll at Miller's. A few years ago, someone who had a severe allergy reached out about this. It led me down a rabbit hole, talking to the scientists behind our cultures. And now, I'm sharing what I learned with you. Is there a way to make fermented dairy without maltodextrin, like a wild (not freeze dried) culture? Sure, wild cultured dairy is 100% a thing. It's like the sourdough bread of the dairy world. But... as the name implies, the final product can be a bit "wild". This is how we make our bursting kefirs. They're made with real kefir grains (a wild culture) that's been passed down in our community for generations. As this name implies, it can be explosive and super bubbly. It can be quite strong in flavor (not everyone's cup of tea). And it varies a lot from week to week. If we made cheese with culture we saved, it wouldn't turn out the same every time. We wouldn't be able to have a reliable cheddar and gouda and mozzarella... we'd just have one cheese that turns out a little different every time. If we made yogurt with culture we saved, it's a little more reliable. But, it still wouldn't give you the expected texture and flavor of the yogurt you're expecting. And, there would likely be weeks it simply didn't turn out right. Which Miller's dairy products contain trace amounts of maltodextrin and which don't? NO CULTURE = NO MALTODEXTRIN MilkCreamHalf & HalfIce CreamButter ColostrumGhee WILD CULTURE = NO MALTODEXTRIN Bursting Kefir FREEZE DRIED CULTURE = TRACE MALTODEXTRIN CheeseYogurtMild KefirCottage CheeseSour Cream What do you think? Are you ok with minuscule amounts of maltodextrin in fermented dairy? Why or why not? What trace ingredients are you most concerned about? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below to share your thoughts with our amazing community (no account required), or contact us to keep it private 😊 ----- Sources MaltodextrinWhat is maltodextrin and is it safe?Cheese Making Cultures FAQ Cultured Milk Starters