MAKING YOGURT- PLAYING WITH VISCOSITY

Almost everyone knows how to make yogurt. Yogurt is after all a simple fermentation process using milk as the substrate. The microorganisms involved in the process are . S.Thermophilus, L.Actobacillus Acidophilus and B. Bifidum.
In the process the milk sugar or lactose is converted into lactic acid and other fermentation products such as carbon dioxide, acetic acid, diacetyl and acetaldehyde which contribute to yogurt's characteristic taste and aroma.
It does not take a food scientist to make a simple yogurt. A hobbyist who is willing to ‘experiment’ with ingredients and conditions, and after passing through trial and errors will ultimately be an expert in making his own unique yogurt. p(Though others might not like his product)
However, if you are trully interested in making the perfect or standard yogurt that is marketable you do need to really understand the processes ivolved in making high quality yogurt.
Of course, the preference for a particular type of yogurt depends on the individual. But you need to produce a yogurt product of the highest quality, consistency.
A good yogurt is characterised by its flavour, aroma, appearance and texture. The texture of the yogurt itself is important. Many yogurt are designed to help create or maintain a thick texture.
TEXTURE OF YOGURT
Most people would like to imagine yogurt as viscous but soft enough to flow.The texture of yogurt is measured in terms of its flowability or viscosity.
The manufacture of yogurt itself in reality is complex as the rheology of yogurt fermentation changes with time and stage of process . This would not be a critical issue for home made yogurt involving small volume production
In controlling the viscosity of the yogurt would involve various stages of manipulations such as:
1 The milk used for making yogurt must be standardized and should contain at least 3.3% fat and 12 - 18% Milk Solids
2 Homogenisation should be used to increae the product viscosity
3 Pasteurisation at 98 degrees Centigrade for 3 minutes will help in the coagulation
4 Filtration should be used to removed pockets of whey in the broth
5 Cooling should be carried out in a controlled manner to maintain the integrity of the yogurt viscosity
6 Transfers of yogurt should be carefully carried out by pumping and mixing properly to maintain its viscosity




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