Yogurt

Yogurt, like most dairy products now, contains a various amounts of fat. There is non-fat
(0% fat), low-fat (usually % fat) and plain or whole milk yogurt (!% fat).
Yogurt is made "y fermenting a milk with "acteria (a lactobacillus and a streptococcus
species). These "acteria are happy to o"lige in helping make the yogurt and are not
dangerous to humans in fact, it can aid with digestion.
! ounces whole milk yogurt # $% calories, ! fat, g sat fat, &'g mono fat, !g protein, (g
car"ohydrates, (mg sodium, '(mg cholesterol
! ounces low-fat yogurt # )' calories, !g fat, 'g sat fat, &'g mono fat, $g protein, %g
car"ohydrates, %0mg sodium, )mg cholesterol
! ounces non-fat yogurt # $* calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 0g mono fat, $g protein, +g
car"ohydrates, %$mg sodium, mg cholesterol
Yogurt Production
This page descri"es the production of yogurt and includes the legal Yogurt ,efinitions,
-ngredients, .acterial /ultures, and 0eneral 1anufacturing 2rocedure.
Yogurt Definitions
Yogurt is a fermented milk product that contains the characteristic "acterial cultures
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. 3ll yogurt must contain at
least %.(% solids not fat. 4ull fat yogurt must contain not less than *.(% milk fat,
lowfat yogurt not more than % milk fat, and nonfat yogurt less than 0.(% milk. The full
legal definitions for yogurt, lowfat yogurt and nonfat yogurt are specified in the
5tandards of -dentity listed in the 6.5. /ode of 4ederal 7egulations (/47), in sections '
/47 '*'.00, ' /47 '*'.0*, and ' /47 '*'.0$, respectively.
The two styles of yogurt commonly found in the grocery store are set type yogurt and
swiss style yogurt. 5et type yogurt is when the yogurt is packaged with the fruit on the
"ottom of the cup and the yogurt on top. 5wiss style yogurt is when the fruit is "lended
into the yogurt prior to packaging.
Ingredients
The main ingredient in yogurt is milk. The type of milk used depends on the type of
yogurt whole milk for full fat yogurt, lowfat milk for lowfat yogurt, and skim milk for
nonfat yogurt. 8ther dairy ingredients are allowed in yogurt to ad9ust the composition,
such as cream to ad9ust the fat content, and nonfat dry milk to ad9ust the solids content.
The solids content of yogurt is often ad9usted a"ove the %.(% minimum to provide a
"etter "ody and te:ture to the finished yogurt. The /47 contains a list of the permissi"le
dairy ingredients for yogurt.
5ta"ili;ers may also "e used in yogurt to improve the "ody and te:ture "y increasing
firmness, preventing separation of the whey (syneresis), and helping to keep the fruit
uniformly mi:ed in the yogurt. 5ta"ili;ers used in yogurt are alginates (carageenan),
gelatins, gums (locust "ean, guar), pectins, and starch.
5weeteners, flavors and fruit preparations are used in yogurt to provide variety to the
consumer. 3 list of permissi"le sweeteners for yogurt is found in the /47.
Bacterial Cultures
The main (starter) cultures in yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus
thermophilus. The function of the starter cultures is to ferment lactose (milk sugar) to
produce lactic acid. The increase in lactic acid decreases p< and causes the milk to clot,
or form the soft gel that is characteristic of yogurt. The fermentation of lactose also
produces the flavor compounds that are characteristic of yogurt. Lactobacillus bulgaricus
and Streptococcus thermophilus are the only cultures re=uired "y law (/47) to "e
present in yogurt.
8ther "acterial cultures, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus subsp. casei,
and .ifido-"acteria may "e added to yogurt as pro"iotic cultures. 2ro"iotic cultures
"enefit human health "y improving lactose digestion, gastrointestinal function, and
stimulating the immune system.
General Manufacturing Procedure
The following flow chart and discussion provide a general outline of the steps re=uired
for making yogurt. 4or a more detailed e:planation see the literature references "y 5taff
('++%), Tamime and 7o"inson ('+++), >alstra et al. ('+++) and the we"site "y 0off,
www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca?dairyedu?yogurt.html.
General Yogurt Processing Steps
3d9ust 1ilk /omposition @ .lend -ngredients
2asteuri;e 1ilk
<omogeni;e
/ool 1ilk
-noculate with 5tarter /ultures
<old
/ool
3dd 4lavors @ 4ruit
2ackage
1. Adjust Milk Coposition ! Blend Ingredients
1ilk composition may "e ad9usted to achieve the desired fat and solids content. 8ften dry
milk is added to increase the amount of whey protein to provide a desira"le te:ture.
-ngredients such as sta"ili;ers are added at this time.
". Pasteuri#e Milk
The milk mi:ture is pasteuri;ed at '%(A4 (%(A/) for *0 minutes or at 0*A4 (+(A/) for '0
minutes. 3 high heat treatment is used to denature the whey (serum) proteins. This allows
the proteins to form a more sta"le gel, which prevents separation of the water during
storage. The high heat treatment also further reduces the num"er of spoilage organisms in
the milk to provide a "etter environment for the starter cultures to grow. Yogurt is
pasteuri;ed "efore the starter cultures are added to ensure that the cultures remain active
in the yogurt after fermentation to act as pro"ioticsB if the yogurt is pasteuri;ed after
fermentation the cultures will "e inactivated.
$. %oogeni#e
The "lend is homogeni;ed (000 to (00 psi) to mi: all ingredients thoroughly and
improve yogurt consistency.
&. Cool Milk
The milk is cooled to '0%A4 (!A/) to "ring the yogurt to the ideal growth temperature
for the starter culture.
'. Inoculate (it) Starter Cultures
The starter cultures are mi:ed into the cooled milk.
*. %old
The milk is held at '0%A4 (!A/) until a p< !.( is reached. This allows the fermentation
to progress to form a soft gel and the characteristic flavor of yogurt. This process can take
several hours.
+. Cool
The yogurt is cooled to )A/ to stop the fermentation process.
,. Add -ruit ! -la.ors
4ruit and flavors are added at different steps depending on the type of yogurt. 4or set
style yogurt the fruit is added in the "ottom of the cup and then the inoculated yogurt is
poured on top and the yogurt is fermented in the cup. 4or swiss style yogurt the fruit is
"lended with the fermented, cooled yogurt prior to packaging.
/. Package
The yogurt is pumped from the fermentation vat and packaged as desired.
0ualit1 Control
1ilk products such as yogurt are su"9ect to a variety of safety testing. 5ome of these
include tests for micro"ial =uality, degree of pasteuri;ation, and various forms of
contaminants. The micro"ial =uality of the incoming milk is determined "y using a dye
reaction test. This method shows the num"er of organisms present in the incoming milk.
-f the micro"ial count is too high at this point, the milk may not "e used for manufacture.
5ince complete pasteuri;ation inactivates most organisms in milk, the degree of
pasteuri;ation is determined "y measuring the level of an en;yme in the milk called
phosphatase. 0overnmental regulations re=uire that this test "e run to ensure that
pasteuri;ation is done properly. .eyond micro"ial contamination, raw milk is su"9ect to
other kinds of contaminants such as anti"iotics, pesticides or even radioactivity. These
can all "e found through safety testing and the milk is treated accordingly.
-n addition to safety tests, the final yogurt product is also evaluated to ensure that it meets
the specifications set "y the manufacturer for characteristics such as p<, rheology, taste,
color, and odor. These factors are tested using various la"oratory e=uipment such as p<
meters and viscometers and also human panelists.
7ead moreC httpC??www.madehow.com?Dolume-!?Yogurt.htmlEi:;;*0T;2hl0o
Yogurt Production 2 icro3iolog1
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Yogurt production can occur "oth on a large scale as well as at home for individual
consumption (4ig. !). 3s outlined "y /ornell 6niversityFs 1ilk Guality -mprovement
2rogram (www.milkfacts.info), yogurt production "egins "y heating the milk to %(-+0A/
to kill any unwanted "acteria, such as those that can spoil milk or are pathogenic, as well
as to denature the milk proteins so that they form more of a gel-like te:ture "y holding in
the moisture. This pasteuri;ation step is important "oth for the consumer and the active
cultures that will "e added, since it eliminates potential competitors in the environment.
8nce the milk is cooled to around !A/, the starter culture is added. These starter cultures
most often include Lactobacillus delbrueckii su"species bulgaricus (known simply as
Lactobacillus bulgaricus until '+%! and referred as such from here on) (4ig. () and
Streptococcus salivarius su"sp. thermophilus (or more commonly Streptococcus
thermophilus) (4ig. $). -n fact, these two species are the only cultures re=uired under the
/ode of 4ederal 7egulations to "e present in what can "e called HyogurtH, though there
can "e a wide variation in the strain that is used. 3long with the starter culture, pro"iotics
may "e added, common ones "eing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and
Bifidobacteria. The temperature of the milk is then maintained around !A/ until the p<
reaches !.(, a sign of sufficient lactic acid production. 3s the name Streptococcus
thermophilus suggests, these "acteria are thermophiles that grow the "est under elevated
temperatures. Thus, the !A/ environment encourages the starter cultures to grow, while
it inhi"its the growth of non-thermophiles, such as pathogenic "acteria. /aution is
needed, however, since L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus may "e thermophiles "ut are
killed at temperatures higher than ((A/. 8nce a p< of !.( is reached, the yogurt is cooled
to around )A/ to stop fermentation. -t is worth noting however, that fermentation, though
at a much slower rate, occurs even at a low temperature and therefore over-fermentation
can occur and lead to e:cess lactic acid and dead "acteria, resulting in a sour, unpalata"le
yogurt. Thus, even though yogurt is already a product of fermentation, it can technically
still spoil.
-ig. *. Scanning electron icrograp) of Streptococcus t)erop)ilus.
Courtes1 of Dennis 6unkel Microscop15 Inc.
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3ulgaricus.
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Microscop1 -acilit1
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