Raw Materials
In general, yogurt is made with a variety of ingredients including milk, sugars, stabilizers, fruits and flavors, and a bacterial culture
When the milk arrives at the plant, its composition is modified before it is used to make yogurt. This standardization process typically involves reducing the fat content and increasing the total solids. Once modification occurs, it is pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to consistently disperse fat molecules.
When the milk arrives at the plant, its composition is modified before it is used to make yogurt. This standardization process typically involves reducing the fat content and increasing the total solids. Once modification occurs, it is pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to consistently disperse fat molecules.
(Lactobacillus bulgaricus). During fermentation, these organisms interact with the milk and convert it into a curd. They also change the flavor of the milk giving it the characteristic yogurt flavor of which acetaldehyde is one of the important contributors. The primary byproduct of the fermentation process is lactic acid. The acid level is used to determine when the yogurt fermentation is completed which is usually three to four hours. The suppliers of these yogurt cultures offer various combinations of the two bacterial types to produce yogurts with different flavors and textures.
To modify certain properties of the yogurt, various ingredients may be added. To make yogurt sweeter, sucrose (sugar) may be added at approximately 7%. For reduced calorie yogurts, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin are used. Cream may be added to provide a smoother texture. The consistency and shelf stability of the yogurt can be improved by the inclusion of stabilizers such as food starch, gelatin, locust-bean gum, guar gum and pectin. These materials are used because they do not have a significant impact on the final flavor. The use of stabilizers is not required however, and some marketers choose not to use them in order to retain a more natural image for their yogurt.
To improve taste and provide a variety of flavors, many kinds of fruits are added to yogurt. Popular fruits include strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and peaches, but almost any fruit can be added. Beyond fruits, other flavorings are also added. These can include such things as vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and even mint. Recently, manufacturers have become quite creative in the types of yogurt they produce using natural and artificial flavorings.