Bacteria And Fungi Involved In Yogurt Production

INTRODUCTION AND LITRERATURE REVIEW

Yogurt is a popular and healthy snacks and it has a lot of advantages over fresh milk despite the fact that yogurt is also a bye product of milk. The advantages it has over milk includes

(a) It can’t get perish like milk which get soured when it is not in refrigerator.

(b) It is thicker than milk which makes it easier to store and broadens it cooking.

(c) It gives a lot tangy flavour that people find appealing 

(d) It also contain low lactose unlike milk that has high lactose which makes it to be easily digestible for some people that has low lactose tolerance.

The bacterial that helps in converting milk into this yogurt are

(a) Bacterial which are of two strains

(1) LACTOBACILLUS BULGARICUS

(2) STREPTOCCOCCUS THERMOPHILLIUS. Along with bacteria fungi also take part in the formation of yogurt production. These micro organisms were mistakenly added to milk along with a plant like bacteria LACTOBACILLIUS BULGARICUS which is related to the strain of plant dwelling bacteria.

In the process of adding more LACTOBACILLIUS BULGARICUS into the milk produce more yogurt. it was now noted that STREPTOCOCCUS THERMOPHILLIUS  has same symbiotic relationship with LACTOBACILLIUS BULGARIUM.

Yogurt is form through the conversion of lactose to lactic acid by LACTOBACILLIUS BULGARIUM so yogurt are made acidic through this process and also makes the milk’s protein thicken and thereby making it viscous. The acidity also prevents colonization from other microbes which aids in preservation.

By breaking down lactose to make the lactic acid the microbes lower the levels of lactose in the yogurt while the presence of STREPTOCOCCUS THERMOPHILLIUS helps to fight along with LACTOBACILLIUS BULGARIUM against any microbes from outside during the early stage of the process <MILLER GD 2000 >.

Originally a simple fermented diary product, yogurt now has many variations and personalities. It can be thin and runny or thick and firm. It can be made from cow milk, goat milk, sheep milk, nut milk, soy milk, rice milk and from numerous other creamy substances.