Consumers are demanding low-fat yoghurts without hydrocolloid
stabilisers, but they are unwilling to compromise on
texture for the sake of a ‘clean label’. Producing high quality
low-fat yoghurt without stabilisers is challenging, and there
is a need for new processing technologies to address consumer
demand. Here we examine four technologies that can potentially
improve the texture of yoghurt: high-pressure processing
(HPP), high-pressure homogenisation (HPH), ultrasonic processing
(USP) and protein crosslinking with the enzyme transglutaminase
(TG). The benefits of HPH and USP depend on fat
content, whilst HPP and TG work best in combination with
other processes, and have strong potential for improving protein
ingredients.