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Is the store-bought yogurt a good "starter" to culture cooked beans to reduce the gas-producing oligosaccharides? Does it contain the right kind of bacteria to ferment the beans or is it only good for dairy?
How long should I ferment? 24-48 hours at room temperature?
Thanks.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is the main culture contained in yogurt. Although it eats many types of sugars, it's biproduct is mainly lactic acid and whether it reduces oligosaccharides is largely unknown.
"...little information is available on FOS transport and metabolism by lactic acid bacteria and other probiotic bacteria." http://aem.asm.org/content/69/4/2217.abstract
If you wanted to experiment with it you could try the traditional yogurt incubation method by mixing a few tablespoons of fresh yogurt into the beans around 110 degrees F and letting it incubate at that same temperature from 10-24 hours. Be careful though, the incubation could also bring about unwanted cultures as well.
If you want to ferment those beans (yes, it does make them easier to digest and has many other health properties) you'll need to brine them at the correct ratio of salt & water in a suitable container (where liquid level stays above the beans, keeping oxygen away). Your current method is not proper fermentation, and prone to yukky mold. Fermentation will take around a week, minimum (longer for stronger flavour). The beans need to be raw, and grown without sprays. You don't need to add lactobacillus (and if you did, it would be whey, not yoghurt) since the veg already has this bacteria on the skin. To guarantee you are getting the right bacteria you can add a piece of cabbage leaf (outer) to the jar or crock.
Hope that helps
