Lactic acid bacteria.
A closer look.

Begin with observation.

Lactic acid bacteria are a broad group of microorganisms that produce lactic acid as they use food sources such as carbohydrates. Familiar from many fermentation traditions, they also appear in natural farming methods. LIVING is Aloha Organic’s culture-based input in this part of the practice.

CTAHR’s 2013 guide describes collecting and culturing microorganisms using rice water and milk, with attention to preparation and storage. A later CTAHR study examined bacteria in rice-water and milk ferments and found a mixture of organisms, including LAB and other bacteria. A ferment’s appearance alone cannot establish its microbial identity.

Aloha Organic’s LIVING begins with kalo. From our very first bottle, we have used taro in place of rice. All of our kalo comes from Hawaiʻi, usually harvested from our own crops or grown by our friends and family. Working with our cultural crop is part of who we are: our preparation is rooted in the land, the food we grow, and the relationships that sustain us here in Hawaiʻi. The rice-based method in the CTAHR publications is background reading, not Aloha Organic’s recipe.

Reading these publications together leaves room for both practice and inquiry. Follow the current handling instructions for your product, keep records, and treat claims about a particular culture as questions that can be investigated through testing.

From practice to source.

The source publications describe natural farming methods. Use the current product label and application guidance for your formulation; a research publication is not a test of an Aloha Organic product.