Other Products

There is a wide range of other cultured milk products on the market, containing lactic acid bacteria.

Product capabilities include:

Drinking yogurt

Drinking yogurt has a lower solids non-fat (SNF), fat content and viscosity, than stirred yogurts.

The milk treatment and the fermentation processes are similar to those applied during the production of stirred yogurt. The difference arises when the required pH has been reached and the coagulum is agitated to a homogeneous mix obtaining a liquid mix rather than a viscous product.

The basis for making a stable "thin" drinking yogurt is the milk treatment, but final adjustments must also be made during homogenisation and cooling of the fermented product.

When flavoured drinking yogurt is produced, 15-20% fruit juice is normally dosed into the product and mixed thoroughly with it before the filling operation.

Ymer

Ymer is a Danish cultured milk product based on fermentation of UF milk concentrate using an aromatic, mesophilic starter culture. Ymer is normally unflavoured.

Ultrafiltration takes place in an external UF plant and the processing of the UF milk concentrate is similar to that of yogurt milk. After fermentation, the product is agitated vigorously in the fermentation tank. It is then cooled, homogenised and filled into the final packages.

Acidophilus products

Acidophilus products include Lactobacillus acidophilus bacterias orLactobacillus acidophilus bacterias mixed with mesophilic or thermophilic cultures. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a slow-growing bacteria.

Acidophilus products are usually made from unconcentrated or only slightly concentrated milk. The basic milk treatment is the same as for yogurt milk. Fermentation, agitation and cooling also take place in basically the same way as for yogurt products, but with minor variations depending on the type of product to be produced.

Bifidus products

Cultured milk products based on Bifidobacterium bifidum have been on the market for some years now. They are normally produced using a variety of mixtures with mesophilic and thermophilic cultures. Bifidobacterium bifidum is also a slow-growing bacterium.

Like yogurt, bifidus products are produced from concentrated milk and they are processed in the same way as yogurt.

Acidophilus and bifidus bacteria are the two main probiotic bacteria used in the production of cultured milk products and other dairy products such as baby foods and infant formulas. These bacteria are able to survive in the digestive system and support the balance of the intestinal microflora, which is a very important health factor.

AB products

As both acidophilus and bifidus bacteria are of great importance for the balance of the intestinal microflora, special products including both Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum have been developed. Cultura is one such product. Cultura products originated in Denmark and are available today as both stirred and drinking types, and as either plain or flavoured products.

A special variety is sweet (unfermented) AB milk. The milk is inoculated with AB culture, but it is held at approximately 4°C, which is too cool for AB bacteria to develop. As long as the temperature is kept at 4°C, the shelf life of AB milk is the same as for ordinary milk and the flavour is also the same.

Speciality culturedproducts

Gefilus is a Finnish product containing probiotic Lactobacillus GG which have the same functions as acidophilus and bifidus cultures. They grow very slowly and require strict aseptic conditions from pasteurisation and during fermentation.

BRA products come from Sweden. Apart from acidophilus and bifidus cultures, they also contain Lactobacillus reuteri. Sweet BRA milk also exists and is produced in the same way as described for AB products.

The Gaio bacterial culture stems from the Caucasus. Apart from Streptococcus thermophilus, the Gaio culture also contains Enterococcus faecium. It is claimed that these bacterial strains inhibit the pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal system and reduce the cholesterol level in the blood. Gaio is produced as both stirred and drinking types and as either plain or flavoured products.

In general, the milk processing lines as well as the fermentation, cooling and filling operations for these speciality products are the same as for yogurt products.

Kefir

Kefir is one of the oldest cultured milk products known, and is especially popular in all parts of the former Soviet Union, and in many East European counties.

Kefir is a drinkable product and its fermentation is based on lactic acid bacteria and yeast. The types of bacteria vary from area to area, but usually a mixture of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus bacteria is mainly Saccharomyces fragilis.

Many people in Western Europe do not like the strong yeasty flavour of kefir, and in this part of the world, dairy plants therefore use a direct vat set (DVS) culture, which creates only a slight yeasty flavour.

Cultured drinks containing lactobacillus bacterias

These products arethin, flavoured mixtures of cultured skim milk and juice, often 33% cultured milk and 67% juice, but the final product may contain as much as 93% juice. Skim milk is treated and inoculated with Lactobacillus casei and/or other Lactobacillus bacterias which have probiotic properties. This is a very slow-growing bacteria and it therefore takes 72 hours of fermentation to reach the required pH. Since this long fermentation time creates possibilities for other bacteria to develop and requires many fermentation tanks, a great number of dairy plants have now started to produce a mixed culture. This reduces the fermentation time to 6-20 hours, depending on bacteria mixture, dosage, and fermentation temperature. The juice is a sweet mixture of sugar, stabiliser, acids, flavouring and colouring agents, and water, which is pasteurised to the same level as the milk. When the milk has been fermented, it is cooled, mixed with the juice and homogenised. The finalproduct is then filled directly or it isfast heat treated for production of ESL or long-life products.

Buttermilk drinks

Traditionally, this was a by-product from butter production. Today, it is often produced in almost the same way as drinking yogurt. However, the type of starter culture and the fermentation temperatures/times are different. The composition of the modern type of buttermilk is often similar to that of the traditional product. The processing of extended shelf life (ESL) and long-life buttermilk is the same as for drinking yogurt.

Laban drinks

Laban is a type of drinking yogurt produced especially in the Middle East, and the old recipes describe a mixture of fermented milk (yogurt) and water with a small amount of salt. Today, many different types of laban drinks are produced with different SNF and fat contents and different viscosities. Laban drinks, too, can be produced as ESL or long-life products in the same way as drinking yogurt.