Fermented Milk Products

Introduction
 Fermented milk products, also known as cultured dairy
foods, cultured dairy products, or cultured milk
products, are dairy foods that have been fermented with
lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus,
and Leuconostoc
 Fermented milk products have been produced since
around 10,000 BC. A range of different Lactobacilli
strains has been grown in laboratories allowing for a
wide range of cultured milk products with different
tastes
 Many forms of fermented milk were used by early
nomadic herders, especially in Asia, US and Europe
 Cont…
 Fermentation of milk dates back thousands of years to
locations all over the world.
 In the early years of milk fermentation, milk was simply
allowed to be fermented by its normal microbiota, but
the actual process was not completely understood
 Cultures could be maintained by inoculating fresh milk
with fermented milk. Today, lactic acid-producing
microorganisms are added to milk to decrease the pH of
the milk and produce many different fermented milk
products.
Types of fermented milk products
 Different types of fermented milk products are present
all over the word
 Butter milk
 Acidophilus milk
 Koumiss
 Kefir
 Cheese
 Youghurt
 Butter
 Sour cream
Butter milk
 Buttermilk was originally produced when cream was
churned into butter.
 This buttermilk had a tangy acid flavor and was
considered a good thirst quencher on hot summer days.
 Today’s buttermilk is made by fermenting or culturing
whole or low fat milk with the appropriate
characterizing bacteria.
 These bacteria include the acid-producer Lactococcus
lactis or cremoris and the flavor and aroma-producer
Leuconostoc cremoris.
 The bacterial culture’s acidity also helps thicken the
buttermilk and gives it a more appealing body and
texture.
 Cont…
 Sometimes butter flakes are added. Salt can also be
added, in an amount of up to 2 percent of the total
volume, to improve the natural flavor

Acidophilus milk
 sometimes called sweet acidophilus milk, has
Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria added to it, giving it a
tangy flavor and thickened texture.
 This cultured product is usually low in fat and has a
longer shelf life than ordinary milk. Many people believe
it can benefit digestion and prevent allergies due to the
activity of the acidophilus bacteria in the intestines.
 Cont…
 The culture process used to make acidophilus milk
starts with inoculating sterile milk with the bacteria.
 Milk is allowed to set at a warm temperature while the
bacteria reproduce. L. acidophilus thrives in the mildly
acidic environment of milk
 The tangy flavor of the milk will increase the longer it
stays warm. This process is similar to the one used to
make yogurt but results in a thinner, drinkable product.
 Starter cultures that contain L. acidophilus are available,
although they often contain other strains, including
Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus
bulgaricus, that are commonly used to make yogurt.
Sour cream
 Sour cream is the product resulting from the addition of
lactic acid-producing bacteria to pasteurized cream
containing not less than 18 percent milk fat. This type
of sour cream is called “cultured sour cream.”
 The culture used is the same as for buttermilk. Sour
cream also can be made by direct acidification, but this
product will not have as good a flavor as the cultured
product.
 Acidified sour cream results from the addition of
acidifiers to pasteurized cream the product may or may
not contain lactic acid-producing bacteria
Kefir
 Kefir (or alternatively kefīrs, keefir, kephir) is a fermented milk
drink made with kefir grains and is believed to have its origins
in the Caucasus Mountains.
 It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep's milk with
kefir grains.
 Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a
doorway; the bag would be knocked by anyone passing through
the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed
 Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix
of proteins, lipids, and sugars, and this symbiotic matrix forms
"grains" that resemble cauliflower. For this reason, a complex
and highly variable community of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts
can be found in these grains.
 Cont…
 Kefir grains contain a water-soluble
polysaccharide known as kefiran, which
imparts a rope like texture and feeling in the
mouth; it ranges in color from white to yellow,
and may grow to the size of walnuts.
 Nutrients present in kefir are protein,
polysaccharide vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6 and
D, folic acid, nicotinic acid), Minerals
(calcium, iron, iodine) and Water
 The traditional, or artisanal, method of making
kefir is achieved by directly adding kefir
grains (2–10%) to milk in a loosely covered
acid proof container which is traditionally
agitated once or more times a day.
 Cont…
 Allowing to set in a room for some
expansion as the kefiran and carbon dioxide
gas produced causes the liquid level to rise.
 If the container is not light proof it should
be stored in the dark to prevent degradation
of vitamins and inhibition of the culture.
 After a period of fermentation lasting
around 24 hours, ideally at 20–25 °C, the
grains are removed from the liquid by
sieving and reserved as the starter for a
fresh amount of liquid.
 The temperature during fermentation is not
critical as long as it is not above one that
will kill the culture 40 °C or much below 4
°C where the process will cease
 Preheating
65-70°C

Homogenization
175-200 bar

Heat treatment
90-95°C

Cooling
22-25°C

Incubation
2-3%/12hrs
 Ripening
14-16°C/ 12hrs

Cooling
5-8°C

Packing

Cold storing